South Australia's Wayne Phillips was a rakishly built left handed batsman and wicketkeeper who represented both state and country over the course of a first class career that spanned the thirteen year period between the 1977-78 and 1990-91 seasons. Despite an unusual grip on the blade (one hand was placed close to the top of the handle and the other near to the bottom), Phillips was a natural strokemaker and one who was particularly confident when executing horizontal bat shots. It was this confidence - as well as a willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of his team - which was integral in his emergence as a successful opener for the Croweaters in the early 1980s and in his elevation to Test level at the start of the 1983-84 international season. Phillips enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top flight: his commanding 159 against Pakistan in Perth made him only the fourteenth Australian in Test history to compile a century on debut. But it was not long before the same sense of selflessness that had inspired his transformation from a middle order player into an opening batsman acted as a millstone around his neck. In mid-career, he was asked to become a wicketkeeper on the basis of his experience as a gloveman at underage and club level and as a response to the development of a gaping hole in the Australian team following Rod Marsh's departure. While the move was not without some short-term benefits - his sound wicketkeeping skills and a courageous second Test century on tour in the Caribbean in 1984 encouraged hopes of a long and fruitful stint in the role - it effectively spelled the beginning of the end for his international ambitions. His productivity with the bat waned so steadily thereafter that his Test and ODI careers were both over within a mere three years. He subsequently remained a key player in the South Australian team for a number of seasons but his career never again touched the same heights as it had done previously. Ultimately, Phillips became involved in full-time coaching work at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide, a role in which he still functions today. He can also occasionally be heard as a television commentator on the Nine Network.
John Polack

First-class Debut: South Australia v Victoria at Adelaide, 1977/78

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May 5, 2002 Wayne Phillips - Portrait April 2002 © Getty Images

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