By Zim Sport Live Writer
Zimbabwe opener Brian Bennett has described the Chevrons’ stunning victory over Australia national cricket team at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo as “huge for the country”, but cautioned that the road to the Super 8 stage remains far from certain.
Zimbabwe produced the first major upset of the tournament, rolling back the years to echo their famous 2007 heroics with a 23-run triumph over the Aussies.
A composed 64 from Bennett laid the foundation before devastating spells from Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans sealed a famous night for the African side.
Speaking after the match, Bennett urged calm despite Zimbabwe making it two wins from two in the group stage.
“I think it is obviously a great start to get two out of two wins this tournament,” said Bennett.
“We have got two more games left in the pool matches. We need to go back to the drawing board and not get too far ahead of ourselves.
“I do not think it is going to be easy reaching the Super 8. We have Sri Lanka and Ireland next. As I said, we will go back to our processes and our planning. T20 is a funny game, anything can happen.”
The victory sparked wild celebrations among Zimbabwean fans inside the stadium and back home, and Bennett made sure to acknowledge their unwavering support.
“It is a huge win for us as Zimbabwe, not only as players but as a country. The fans came all the way from Zimbabwe and spent a lot of money to get here. We are just grateful for what they have done over the last two games and also to the supporters back home. To go out and do that today was pretty special for everyone.”
Zimbabwe posted a competitive 170 on a challenging surface against a star-studded Australian bowling attack featuring the likes of Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell.
Bennett revealed that discipline and awareness were key to reaching what proved to be a match-winning total.
“Getting 170-plus was definitely very hard against quality Aussie bowlers. We spoke about parking our egos, especially with the bigger boundary and the wind factor. It was about hitting the ball on the ground, taking twos and running hard. I thought 170 was a good score.”
If the batting laid the platform, the bowlers finished the job in emphatic fashion.
Muzarabani delivered a Player of the Match performance, claiming sensational figures of 4/17 in his four overs — the best ever by a Zimbabwean in a T20 World Cup match. Evans provided superb support with 3/23 as Australia were restricted well short of the target.
The night was even more special for Muzarabani, who brought up his 100th T20I wicket, becoming only the third Zimbabwean pacer to reach the milestone alongside Richard Ngarava and Sikandar Raza. In 85 T20Is, Muzarabani now boasts 100 wickets at an impressive average of 21.08.
Bennett climbs into the record books
There was also a personal milestone for Bennett. His fluent 64 saw him surpass former captain Hamilton Masakadza to become Zimbabwe’s fourth-highest run-scorer in T20I history.
In just 54 matches, Bennett has amassed 1,708 runs at an average of 34.16 and a strike rate above 143, underlining his growing importance at the top of the order.
While the celebrations will continue long into the night for Zimbabweans everywhere, Bennett insists the team’s focus quickly shifts to the challenges ahead.
The Chevrons have made a powerful statement in Colombo — but as their opener warned, the job is far from finished.