[1] An all-rounder who can also keep wickets,[1][2] Phillips is regarded as a physically fit cricketer who is an excellent fielder.
[7] Phillips made his Twenty20 debut on 4 December 2016 in the 2016–17 Super Smash against Otago, scoring 55 from 32 deliveries opening the batting.
[23] He joined younger brother Dale at Otago and stated his desire to become a genuine all-rounder under coach Dion Ebrahim.
As he secured a central New Zealand cricket contract in May 2022, his deal did not contribute to the Otago salary bill.
[26] He made his debut during the series[27] and in October was named in the One Day International (ODI) squad against India.
In January 2020 he was flown to Sydney ahead of New Zealand's third Test match on their tour of Australia as cover for Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls who were ill.[29] With neither player able to take part in the match, Phillips made his Test debut, top-scoring in New Zealand's first innings with 52 runs.
[34] In August he was named in the squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup,[35] playing in each of the team's matches in the competition and scoring a total of 105 runs as New Zealand reached the final.
[4] Later in 2022, Phillips was part of New Zealand's squad for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia.
[4] Following the World Cup, Phillips was selected in New Zealand's Test squad for the tour of Bangladesh.