 He struggled to make his name a permanent fixture on the Essex teamsheet between his debut in 1999 and 2010 due to the presence of Pakistani legspinner Danish Kaneria for six of those years.However, in the 2011 season, following Kaneria's departure, Phillips looks to have gained an Essex starting place in all forms of the game, a fact outlined by the fact that Essex chose not to sign another spinner to replace Kaneria.Tim Phillips is also a very capable fielder.