Assessment
Phillip's promotion to wicketkeeper is generally held to have done considerable damage to his talents as a batsman. Steve Waugh later described him as:
That sporadic genuius... 'Flipper' was always upbeat and great fun to be around - except when he was driving the team bus, in a style that on occasions bordered on maniacal and broke most of the known road rules - but I could never quite work out whether his casual, laid-back attitude was genuine or a disguise for uncertainty and self-doubt.
At his peak, his good looks and ability to score fast meant he was one of the most popular Australian players, particularly with Channel Nine (who broadcast the game) and PBL (in change of marketing). Graham Halbish, an executive with the Australian Cricket Board, later wrote that:
Wayne was very popular with Channel Nine and PBL because they believed he was good value as a commercial asset. PBL rated him in the top three or so players in the country. The selectors certainly did not have him rated that highly. He was a wicketkeeper and a batsman but he was not performing to an exceptional standard, or consistently. Statistics did not equate to his profile.
Read more about this topic: Wayne B. Phillips
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