Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE opener Brian Bennett entered the record books on Wednesday with a rare batting feat in Harare, even as his team went down to Sri Lanka by four wickets in the opening T20 cricket international of the three-match series.
Bennett, who top-scored with a fluent 81 off 57 balls, became the player with the highest T20I score without hitting a six among full ICC members.
His innings, laced with 12 boundaries, was the bedrock of Zimbabwe’s 175-7 at Harare Sports Club. But despite his knock, the hosts could not prevent Sri Lanka from chasing down the target with five balls to spare.
The 21-year-old right-hander surpassed the previous record jointly held by Faf du Plessis (79* vs Bangladesh, 2015) and Babar Azam (79 vs New Zealand).
Other notable names in the unique list include Mohammad Rizwan (78 vs West Indies) and Ricky Ponting (76 vs India).
However, the all-time record across all ICC members remains with Malawi’s Sami Sohail, who scored an unbeaten 94 against Lesotho in 2022 without clearing the ropes.
Bennett’s innings was cut short just 10 runs shy of his personal best in T20Is when he attempted a scoop against Dushmantha Chameera, only to see his stumps uprooted by a perfectly executed yorker.
Apart from skipper Sikandar Raza’s 28, no other Zimbabwe batter crossed 20, highlighting the lone fight from the opener.
Bennett is one of the upcoming talents in the Zimbabwe team, with a lot of promise for the future. A naturally aggressive top-order striker and a decent offspinner, Bennett’s ascent to the senior Zimbabwe squad has been swift.
He had a successful Under-19 World Cup in early 2022 finishing as Zimbabwe’s top run-getter with 273 runs in six matches at an average of 45.50.
In February 2023, he made his T20 debut where he scored 41 off 22 balls and within 10 months, he had earned his senior T20I cap against Ireland.
He recorded his maiden international half-century – 70 off 49 balls – in the fifth T20I against Bangladesh in May 2024 helping Zimbabwe score their only win of the series.
His milestone 81 in the first T20I against Sri Lanka on Wednesday included 12 fours. He dneeded 57 balls to accomplish the feat.
But Bennett’s display and the positive batting by the Zimbabwean players in the preceding ODI series caught the attention of the coach Justin Sammons.
“Yeah, it’s been really good, these three games against Sri Lanka. I think we played really, really well in the two ODIs. Big improvements, obviously.
“Although, having said that, the last three ODIs we played, we also batted fairly well against Ireland. So that’s a pleasing space. But today, it certainly was a big improvement from the trial series.
The wicket was obviously a bit different as well. You know, it’s a lot better a wicket and it allows for stroke play. But that’s good, because it gives our guys confidence.
“We needed a bit of confidence coming off of South Africa and New Zealand. But yeah, it’s been pleasing. They’ve gone about their business really well,” said Sammons. – Wires/Zimpapers Sports Hub
