Brian Bennett's Blunt Take After Valiant 97 Against India: 'Cricket Is Just Like That Sometimes'
Bennett's unbeaten 97 off 59 balls was the lone bright spot as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 184 chasing 257.
Zimbabwe opener Brian Bennett top-scored with a blistering 97 off 59 balls, including eight fours and six sixes, in the T20 World Cup 2026 Super 8 clash against India. Despite his heroics, Zimbabwe fell short by 72 runs, with India posting a mammoth 256 for four and restricting the visitors to 184 for six.
Bennett, 22, admitted missing out on a T20 World Cup century but remained philosophical. “Yeah, it would have been nice. Cricket is just like that sometimes; I'm not always going to get to that landmark. Just grateful for today, to get out there and put on a good innings, but couldn't get over the line… 250 was going to be a tough one to win,” he said.
On the lack of partnerships during the chase, Bennett emphasized giving his teammates freedom at the crease. “I just told them when they came in—listen, if you see the ball, just hit the ball. Don't worry about what I want; just do your thing,” he explained. Facing India’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the first time, Bennett described his strategy: “He is a top-class, world-class bowler. My thought process was just to watch the ball as close as I could and let my body do the action. The ball was in my zone, and I just hit it.”
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Acknowledging the challenge of chasing a target of 250–260, Bennett added, "The chance to just express yourself, play to your strengths—if it comes off, it comes off; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. Today, it didn’t come off like we wanted, but 250 is always a tough one to chase.”
Despite the defeat, Bennett highlighted Zimbabwe’s positives in their maiden Super 8 appearance. “It’s the first time we’ve qualified for the Super 8, so there have been a lot of highs in tournaments so far. We’ve got one more game against South Africa, and we’re going to try and learn as much as possible,” he said. “It’s not disappointing past two games; there’s been a lot of learning, and hopefully it will bear fruit in the future.”
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