Brian Bennett's statement innings gives Zimbabwe plenty to cheer

CHENNAI – Brian Bennett (pictured) vs Jasprit Bumrah. Pressure? What pressure?

Bennett sends the white ball flying over the wide long-on boundary. More than 27,000 spectators at Chepauk are stunned into silence. India are not used to seeing their bowling spearhead being treated this way.

Bennett raises his third fifty-plus score in his last four innings in this T20 World Cup across varied conditions in Sri Lanka and India. His team-mates in the dugout are up on their feet, clapping heartily. His captain, Sikandar Raza, is just as impressed, clapping his hands on his bat before embracing Bennett.

This wasn't just a shot from Bennett. This was a statement. That he could take on the best bowler in the world in their very first meeting. That he belongs to the top level as well.

Heck, this wasn't even a bad ball from Bumrah. Having spotted Bennett step away and manufacture swinging room, Bumrah chased him with a sharp short ball aimed at his left shoulder, but Bennett didn't flinch. He opened up his hips and cloberred Bumrah over the top with the stillest of heads, fastest of hands, and smoothest of bat-swings.

"I think Jasprit is always going to be a tough one to face," Bennett said at his post-match press conference. "My thought process was just watch the ball as close as I can and just let my body do the actions. Yeah, the ball was in my zone and I just hit it."

He then left collective jaws on the floor once again when he flipped Hardik Pandya over Bumrah's head at short third. Perhaps seeing Bennett shape for the scoop over short fine leg, Hardik shifted his lines wider of off, but Bennett unveiled a reverse-scoop and showed off his 360-degree range.

"Obviously you practice those shots in the nets leading up to tournaments like this and leading up to games like this," he said. "And the field normally tells you where the bowler is going to look to bowl. So the scoop was sort of knew it was going to be pace-on yorkers. So, with fine leg and third man up, thought that's a good option. Yeah, and it's just literally keeping that clear mind."

Bennett also dared to attack Axar Patel and picked him away for 22 off 12 balls. Axar doesn't offer step hits, but Bennett manufactured one, which messed with the left-arm spinner's length and head. Axar's response was a much fuller length, which fed Bennett's strengths on an easy-paced hit-through-the-line Chepauk deck.

At the Khettarama in Colombo, which has offered more turn and grip than Chepauk, Bennett was more careful against the likes of Dunith Wellalage and Dushan Hemantha. Bennett is only 22 but he already knows when to push forward or step back.

"It's about focussing on what I can do," Bennett said. "Obviously to give Zimbabwe a good start in the powerplay and then sort of just carry on that momentum throughout the middle periods with the likes of Raza, the guys who can hit the big sixes and stuff. But I wouldn't say it's too much of an anchor role. I think I do go out there and try and play positive cricket and try to get at those higher strike rates.

"In this tournament, I think Sri Lanka was a bit different where the wickets weren't as good as they are here. So maybe that lower strike rate came into play."

In his first T20 World Cup, Bennett has cracked 277 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 135.78, and has been dismissed just once. Only Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan has scored more runs than him in this competition.

Bennett has also toppled the Zimbabwe record for the most runs by a player in a T20 World Cup. Along the way, he has also surpassed Sean Williams to become the third-highest run-getter for Zimbabwe in T20Is, behind Raza and Ryan Burl.

"Yeah, very grateful," Bennett reflected on his bumper run. "We've done a lot of preparation leading up to this World Cup. And mainly for myself, it's sort of paid off. But listen, I just try to go through my daily processes. Not try to think too much about how I'm going to get the runs just when I'm out there."

Only four years ago, Bennett was playing an Under-19 World Cup. He has made a swift and smooth transition to international cricket since. His glittering CV includes a Test century against England at Trent Bridge, a fourth-innings half-century against Bangladesh in Sylhet and a 150 against Ireland in Harare. It's "scary" to think how good he can be.

"The sky is the limit for Brian," Zimbabwe's fielding coach, Stuart Matsikenyeri, said. " He is a seriously hard-worker and is a highly-motivated youngster. It's scary that he's only 22 and it's exciting to see where he's going to go. I wouldn't put a bench on him because there's a lot of good things ahead of him.

"He's a sponge and very hungry to learn. He does more listening than talking. He's always looking to get better the next day."

Though Zimbabwe are knocked out of contention for the semi-finals, and Bennett narrowly missed out on a hundred on Thursday, he has given them 97 reasons to celebrate and remain optimistic about the future. – ESPNCricinfo