Throwback: When Josh Philippe’s T20 masterclass left legends in awe

Josh Philippe had only a year ago made his move to the east coast of

Sydney Sixers from the franchise based out of his hometown, the Perth Scorchers. Having endured a torrid initiation into the big leagues with the Scorchers, getting only a solitary opportunity and failing to make the most of it, Philippe went in search of better opportunities. After all, a phone call from the player he idolizes, Steve Smith, was enough to convince him of a move to the team in magenta.

In the 2018/19 season of the Big Bash League, Philippe gave a fairly good account of himself. Playing the initial few games as a finisher, the dashing batsman from WA earned a promotion up the order with some impressive performances. The move to get Philippe to open turned out to be a masterstroke and Josh cemented his spot in the team. His performances also earned him a 3-year extension on his contract which would tie him down to the Sixers till 2022. However, prior to the 2019/20 BBL season, to say that his form in the Sheffield Shield and the domestic One-day tournament the Marsh Cup was disappointing, would be an understatement. Philippe had a point to prove. If he were to be taken seriously, and not be discarded as a one-season-wonder, Philippe would have to consistently prove his credentials in the 2019/20 BBL season.

With a lot riding on the BBL season, Philippe found himself up against familiar foes, the Perth Scorchers in the opening game of the 2019/20 edition. However, Philippe knew that it would only take one good inning to get himself back on track. "I don't feel like I've been necessarily hitting them poorly, I just probably haven't quite got that big score away,” he had been confident.

After the Sydney Sixers bowlers had dismissed the Scorchers for a below-par score of 131, the onus was now on their batsmen to avoid any wobbles in a seemingly straightforward run-chase. As always in a T20 game, a couple of early wickets could have turned the tide, and made the game unnecessarily tense. Josh Philippe was now in the spotlight, as he strode out to open the chase.

Philippe was up against a potent Scorchers bowling lineup. Ashton Agar had arrived on the back of an impressive international summer thus far for Australia, having been extremely effective against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the T20s. What followed was a “T20 masterclass”, in the words of Australia’s greatest wicket-keeper batsman, Adam Gilchrist. With a stroke-filled innings which saw the ball cross the boundary 14 times - 11 of them fours and the rest three maximums - Philippe thrashed the Scorchers bowling all over the park to remind them of their mistake in letting him go a year ago. Philippe’s innings ensured there were no hiccups in the run chase as they overhauled the Scorchers’ total with a quarter of the allotted overs to spare. 

Much like another famous wicket-keeper batsman from India, Philippe finished off the Scorchers with a six. Jhye Richardson, who was making his mark on the international arena, had been deposited on the roof of the SCG to put a stamp on an emphatic innings. Philippe had carried his bat through the run-chase, not leaving the job for anyone else, and ensuring his team gets across the finish line. His unbeaten 81 off only 44 cherries was the clear standout performance of the day, and Philippe was declared the player of the match.

The innings made current and former Aussie stars sit up and take notice of the youngster from Wester Australia. "I think we'll see him play white-ball cricket for Australia in the near future," said the opposition skipper Mitchell Marsh after the game. "I'm not a selector anymore but if I was, I think Josh Phillipe would be high on the list to feature in white-ball cricket somewhere for Australia or Australia A," said Mark Waugh who witnessed the carnage from the Commentary box. 

Surely enough, less than a year down the line, Philippe found himself a part in the Australian national team setup. The very next day, Josh Philippe would be snapped up by the ever-keen RCB recruitment team of Mike Hesson and Simon Katich in the IPL auction.