Wayne Bentley Phillips (born 1 March 1958) is a former Australian cricketer who played in 27 Test matches and 48 One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1982 and 1986 as a batsman and wicket-keeper. He played for South Australia between 1978 and 1991.
Early career Phillips played cricket as a wicketkeeper at high school, but concentrated on batting once he made his South Australian Premier Cricket debut with Sturt Cricket Club. He would occasionally keep wicket and was a reserve wicketkeeper with Australian Under-19 team. However his club, Sturt, had the South Australian state keeper, Russell Vincent, so Phillips became a specialist batsman.
He made his first class debut during the 1977–78 season, when the state sides had been depleted due to World Series Cricket.South Australia v Victoria Sheffield Shield 1977/78 Adelaide Oval on 10–13 February 1978 Over the summer Phillips played three Sheffield Shield matches and a single one-day match as a middle-order batsman, with a top score of 22.
Phillips did not play state cricket again until the 1980–81 season. He was selected in the one day team to play in the McDonald's Cup and began as an opener when "South Australia needed a fast runner to between wickets to partner Rick Darling. I took on the job because they were a bit short on openers." Phillips was picked for South Australia's last match of the Sheffield Shield. He made the most of his opportunity, scoring 111 and 91 against Victoria.Victoria v South Australia Sheffield Shield 1980/81 Kardinia Park, Geelong on 6–9 March 1981
Phillips established himself as an opening batsman over the 1981–82 season scoring 857 first class runs at an average of 47.61, forming a strong opening combination with Rick Darling and making an important contribution to South Australia winning the Sheffield Shield that summer.
He scored a century against the visiting Pakistan sideSouth Australia v Pakistanis, Pakistan in Australia 1981/82, Adelaide Oval on 26–29 December 1981 and 260 against Queensland – the first double century from a South Australian batsman in ten years.South Australia v Queensland, Sheffield Shield 1981/82, Adelaide Oval on 8–10 January 1982
1982-83: Pakistan and Zimbabwe These results saw Phillips selected in the Australian squad to tour Pakistan that winter as a batsman and reserve keeper. There was a spot open in the Australian batting line up as Greg Chappell had elected not to tour. Phillips was in competition with Greg Ritchie.
Phillips made his debut for Australia in a tour game against the BCCP Patron's XI. He played as wicketkeeper as Rod Marsh's arrival in Pakistan was delayed due to the birth of his son; Phillips scored 4 and 22. Greg Ritchie was picked for the ODIs and Tests. Phillips' next match was a tour game against the Pakistan Invitation XI, where he opened and played as wicketkeeper. He scored 92.Pakistan Invitation XI v Australians, Australia in Pakistan 1982/83, Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot on 10–12 October 1982 This saw Phillips selected in the Australian side to play the 3rd ODI as a specialist batter. Unfortunately the game was called off due to a riot.3rd ODI Australia vs Pakistan, Karachi 22 October 1982 Cricinfo
Phillips scored consistently throughout the 1982–83 season, scoring 680 runs at an average of 37.77. He made centuries against New South WalesNew South Wales v South Australia, Sheffield Shield 1982/83, Sydney Cricket Ground on 3–6 December 1982 and Tasmania.South Australia v Tasmania, Sheffield Shield 1982/83, Adelaide Oval on 21–24 January 1983 Graeme Wood was dropped as opener after the first Test, but his spot was given to Kepler Wessels, a South African batsman who had been in excellent form for Queensland for several seasons and only just become eligible for Australian selection.
Nonetheless, Phillips remained on the radar of Australian selectors. He was picked as 12th man for the 3rd Test, and selected in a Young Australian side to tour Zimbabwe in early 1983 as a wicketkeeper batsman, even though he did not keep for his state or club side.
The highlight of this tour for Phillips was scoring 135 in a one-day game.Zimbabwe v Young Australia, Young Australia in Zimbabwe 1982/83, Harare Sports Club on 17 April 1983 After this success, commentators started talking about Phillips as a possible Australian wicketkeeper.
Test batsman Phillips began the 1983–84 summer superbly with 234 against Tasmania and 75 against the touring Pakistan side. He was selected as opener in Australia's side for the first Test against Pakistan, replacing John Dyson and partnering Kepler Wessels. Bob Simpson wrote he felt Phillips "may well be a great success and I hope he is but as yet he hasn't earned his test berth."
Before the Test, he captained South Australia in a one-day game and also played as wicketkeeper, scoring 25. Phillips had an excellent Test debut, scoring 159 in the first innings, taking part in a 259 run partnership with Graham Yallop on the first day, and helping set up a huge Australian victory; he also took three catches.1st Test Australia vs Pakistan, Perth 11–14 November 1983 Cricinfo
He captained South Australia in a game against Queensland, scoring 14. In the rain-shortened second Test, Phillips scored 46. He made 1 and 21 for South Australia against WA, then made 12 and 54 in the third Test; his second innings half century helped Australia secure a draw. Phillips made 5 and 36 against NSW in a Shield game, then he scored 35 in the fourth Test and 37 and 19 not out in the fifth (hitting the winning runs); Phillips had made 362 runs in the series at an average of 60.33.
Phillips was selected in the Australian ODI series at the end of the 5th Test. He scored 10 and 2 in the first games. There had been calls that Rod Marsh should be dropped and replaced as keeper by Phillips. When Marsh scored a half century in an ODI he raised his bat in the direction of the press box. Phillips was then made 12th man, replaced by Greg Ritchie. However he was selected for the Australian squad to tour the West Indies. Ian Chappell wrote Australia needed someone "who is prepared to play his shots off the back foot and if Wayne Phillips can succeed with his aggressive attitude, this will give Australia a good start."
Phillips returned to the Australian ODI team when Rod Marsh injured a finger and Phillips replaced him as keeper. He briefly kept his place as a batter when Marsh returned to the side but then was dropped from the ODI side again. As the World Series Cup progressed, Steve Smith established himself as a successful ODI opener and Dean Jones as an ODI middle order player: Phillips was omitted from the 14-man Australian squad for the WSC finals against the West Indies. He was recalled to the team however and played in the last final, scoring 22 down the middle order and taking part in a 45 run stand with Rod Marsh in the latter's final international game.
Wicket-keeper 1984 tour of West Indies Rod Marsh had retired as Australia's wicketkeeper at the end of the 1983–84 season and it was expected his replacement in the West Indies would be Roger Woolley, who kept wicket for the first two tour games. Phillips played as a specialist batsman in these matches. In the first, against Leeward Islands, he only made 27 and 23 (off 128 balls) although he and Wessels put on opening partnerships of 61 and 114 together. During the Leeward Island game, Phillips and Greg Ritchie were reprimanded for arriving 75 minutes late on day two. Peter McFarline, who was covering the tour for The Age, wrote Phllips "struggled to come to terms with the conditions. If ever a man has suffered from the restrictions of limited over cricket it is the left handed South Australian."
In the second tour game, against Guyana, Phillips made 1 and 62. In the second innings McFarline wrote that "Phillips, in the horrors, could do little right" at first but eventually began "to gather his shattered confidence and by the end of his 145 minute stay was stroking the ball with something like the timing that marked the beginning of his Australian career." However, during the same game Steve Smith scored centuries in both innings making him a favourite to partner Wessels.
In the first ODI, Phillips was picked as wicketkeeper - Roger Woolley had a chipped bone. He batted at seven while Smith scored 60. This led to assumptions that Phillips would be dropped for Smith in the first Test. However, Woolley's finger had not improved and the selectors felt having Phillips as keeper would strengthen Australia's batting. "We couldn't risk a keeper who was not 100% sure of his fitness," said Hughes. This allowed them to pick Smith as opener to bat alongside Kepler Wessels, with Phillips batting at number seven. Phillips had only kept in four first-class games beforehand, two in Pakistan and two during the 1982-83 summer.
Phillips' first catch as a Test wicketkeeper was Viv Richards, off the bowling of Rodney Hogg. He only made 16 in the first innings but top scored in Australia's second innings with 76, taking part in a 125 run partnership with Allan Border that helped save Australia from defeat.West Indies v Australia, Australia in West Indies 1983/84 (1st Test) Venue Bourda, Georgetown on 2–4 and 6–7 March 1984 McFarline felt Phillips "stood in satisfactorily" as keeper "although his lack of experience keeping over five days showed on the last day" and noting that without Rod Marsh the team "looks lopsided".
Ian Chappell wrote that Phillips "should now spend every spare moment he has improving his wicketkeeping" and suggested "a toughening in Wayne's attitude as he is a likeable, easy going bloke who basically wouldn't want to put anyone's nose out of joint, never mind a job." Chappell thought Phillips should endeavour to be like Jeff Dujon, who started as a batsman then became a keeper. "Who knows," wrote Chappell, "with plenty of hard work and a touch of aggressive thinking... he might become another Rod Marsh."
"It's very hard to keep in a test match," said Phillips later. "There is enormous pressure on you at that level."
Phillips was picked as a specialist middle order batsman in the next tour game, against Trinidad and Tobago, while Wooley kept and Smith opened. Phillips made 19 and 12 not out, being at the wicket in the second innings during Kim Hughes' notorious "protest" against the local side, where he instructed batsmen to score slowly. At one point Phillips took off his pads and lay down on the field during the game.Martin Williamson, 'How to win friends ...', Cricinfo, 15 July 2006, accessed 8 June 2012Peter McFarline, 'Tour manager has to explain', The Age, 15 March 1984 p15, accessed 20 July 2012
Phillips played in the second ODI as wicketkeeper, scoring 10 runs in what was a rare Australian victory on the tour. After Steve Smith fell ill and was unable to play in the second Test, Phillips was promoted to opener (Dean Jones replaced Smith but batted down the order), but failed in two innings, scoring 4 and 0.