‘It was cool to see GP do what GP does’: Daryl Mitchell

'It was cool to see GP do what GP does': Daryl Mitchell

The opening day of the Oval Test featured amusing contradictions. It began with Joe Root opting to bowl first after winning the toss, and ended with Glenn Phillips batting in sunglasses. The honours on the opening day belonged to Phillips, who finished unbeaten on 49 as New Zealand closed on 291 for 7 on a green-tinged surface.

Phillips called for sunglasses in the 67th over to combat glare. The first ball he faced wearing them saw him struck on the shoulder by a Jofra Archer bumper. Archer then unleashed a barrage of short-pitched deliveries, one missing his head and leaving him flat on his back. Phillips responded with a thumbs-up towards the dressing room.

"He thrives in moments like tonight: he's the entertainer, he's got the shades on, he's looking cool. That was a seriously tough spell to get through. It was cool to see GP do what GP does," Daryl Mitchell said.

"When he's lying on the ground and giving us the thumbs up, we're chuckling away. It's cool to see him be himself on the international stage," Mitchell added.

Phillips arrived after spending much of the last two months on the bench at Gujarat Titans. He has emerged as New Zealand's most productive batter of the series, dismissed only once while scoring 127 runs. At Lord's, he made 34 and 44 not out even as New Zealand were bowled out for 113 and 138.

"He's an absolute beauty. He's an energiser bunny and really clear on his process. What his innings has done is allow us to start again tomorrow. Putting time into their bowlers' legs will be important over the five days," Mitchell said.