Bennett holding senior teammates ‘accountable’ for performances: Taylor

BY ENOCK MUCHINJO

HARARE – Brian Bennett may quickly find himself having to shoulder the burden of expectations in Zimbabwe’s batting line-up, a big ask for someone so young and fairly new to the side.

But it’s something he will cope with, according to former national team captain Brendan Taylor, who himself is familiar with taking on the mantle of responsibility early.

Bennett will navigate the route easier, Taylor reckons, because he has enjoyed a better support system at the beginning of his international career.

“Brian has had the privilege of having senior guys to bat around and learn from them, and hold them accountable in those sort of situations,” Taylor told SportsCast on Saturday.

“When I made my debut in 2004, as an 18-year-old, I had no one to sort of lean on. We had a young team, Taibu was probably the most experienced player (ex-captain Tatenda Taibu was aged 21). Dion Ebrahim had a few games but, you know, we didn’t have a group of players that had 200 international games, to lean on. So, fortunately, Brian does have that, and he’s going to learn quickly. And we can see that he’s hanging onto this position, he’s grabbed it with both hands and he is making it count.”

Bennett’s record-breaking century for Zimbabwe was a bright spot in the African team’s innings and 45 runs defeat by England in the historic four-day Test tour that ended inside three days on Saturday.

The 21-year-old opener’s hundred off 97 balls at Trent Bridge was Zimbabwe’s fastest in Tests, and his second in the long format. He eventually fell on 139 from 143.

“I think Brian’s knock was a classy knock, full of stroke-play up against a world-class pace attack,” commented Taylor.

“I think the weather was kind, he capitalised on that. The wicket looked good, it was playing well. The sun comes out at Trent Bridge, I did three years of county cricket there (playing for Nottinghamshire), so I know the conditions pretty well. But nonetheless, it’s the beauty of a young free-flowing cricketer with huge amount of talent and ability, and he showed that. I think the belief and confidence he will gain from this experience, and reaching that milestone in England, will hold him in good stead. It’s his third international century in a very short space of time. The future bodes well for Brian, I’m absolutely thrilled for him. He is a great guy and it’s just fantastic to see him in the Zimbabwe cricket fold. Brian is going to be hugely important going forward, he’s such a level headed young guy. We need what he brings to the table, and complementing the senior statesmen of the group.”

Taylor is hugely impressed by Bennett’s exemplary work ethic and discipline, and it helps a great deal that the young batter is not short of role models within the team in that regard.

“He reminds me of a younger version of Craig Ervine,” Taylor said. “You know, man of few words, keeps his head down, gets his work in, a very likeable person. So ja, he is 21, might be a minimum 15 years left in him or whatever how he looks after himself. You know, he can have an enormous career if he stays healthy, injury-free. The world is an oyster, he is carving his way in all three formats and adapting well to all three formats. He is a handy off-spinner as well so he can mold himself into that sort of all-rounder, like (Sikandar) Raza. That will come with experience and time. He hasn’t even peaked yet, so there is so much that he has to offer and there is so much growth and minor adjustments to fine-tune his game to a new level.”

Taylor has announced plans to make a comeback following the elapse of his three-and-a-half year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The 39-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is eager to jump straight in, to reunite with the Zimbabwean side as well as teaming up with Bennett for the first time.

“Well, it’s pretty well documented that I’m targeting a return on the 30th of July against New Zealand in the first Test match in Bulawayo,” Taylor said.

Brian Bennett celebrates his century at Trent Bridge on Friday.

“So I’m working towards that, preparing the hardest I’ve ever done in my career. The hunger is there to return and do the best I can possibly do.  That blend of youth and the older players, you know, bodes well for Zimbabwe cricket. "

For Taylor, the arrival onto the scene of newer and performing players like Bennett has a positive impact on competition for places.

"The younger players will hold the older players accountable because they are hungry, they want to stake a claim," Taylor said.

"So what that does is it creates a competitive environment within the group. The are many other younger players, not just Brian. (Tafadzwa) Tsiga…I’m liking the look of him. Wessly Madhevere has been around for a number of years, I’ve played with him. He hasn’t reached his full potential yet, and we all know what he is capable of. So that is exciting and I think Zimbabwe cricket is in a wonderful place now and targeting that 2027 World Cup. I think we are trending in the right direction with what we have. Being a home World Cup, I think it’s all gearing up for positive results and with the amount of cricket that Zimbabwe are playing and the continuity, that bodes well. Historically, we haven’t played a lot of cricket, we stop and start and we try regain that momentum. So the next couple of years are looking bright, something I’m looking forward to and contributing in any way, shape or form.”

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