Brian Bennett: Built in the backyard, ready for the world

Brian Bennett did not grow up glued to the television, memorising cover drives or counting centuries. There were no posters on the wall, no childhood declarations of destiny. Instead, there was a cricket net in the backyard, a twin brother at the other end, and hours that quietly stacked into something meaningful.

"I didn't really follow cricket that much when I was young," Bennett tells Cricbuzz from Hambantota, where Zimbabwe are training ahead of the T20 World Cup. "I used to play cricket at school growing up with my brothers and my dad. It was only around under-19s that I started following Zimbabwe cricket properly."

His twin brother was central to those formative years. "I got a twin brother that I obviously grew up with," he says. "So my dad bought us a cricket net at home. We always used to play in the nets on the weekends after school or holidays. We just used to spend hours in the nets together."

Cricket wasn't the only sport competing for his attention. He grew up playing hockey, squash and rugby as well. In school, it narrowed down to cricket and hockey. "It was compulsory to play at least two category sports. Mine was cricket and hockey. Cricket in the summer and hockey in the winter."

Bennett's father, a blueberry farmer, played club cricket and a handful of first-class games for Young Mashonaland. "He played with the likes of Andrew Waller, Dave Houghton, Andy Flower, Grant Flower," Bennett recalls. "He had good stories of playing with some of the Zimbabwean legends like Heath Streak, Henry Olonga."

After completing his A-levels at Peterhouse Boys' school in 2021, Bennett spent a year in South Africa to hone his skills. "In 2022, I went to Grahamstown in South Africa at Kingswood College. That was more just to sort of get a few sporting events to happen. Obviously, because my last two years of high school were affected by COVID, so there were no sports fixtures. So, it was nice to go out there and spend a year there and play some more school cricket."

The 2022 Under-19 World Cup remains a cornerstone. "One of my biggest memories was the 80 (83) against Pakistan," he says. "And a 100-run partnership with my twin brother against West Indies."

The 22-year-old's transition to senior cricket was swift. Making his debut in a T20I in December 2023, Bennett went on to play the other two formats as well within the next 12 months. He now has centuries in all formats of the game – joining Brendan Taylor and Sikandar Raza as the only Zimbabweans to achieve this feat.

His exploits in red-ball cricket have grabbed attention: a century in his first home Test, twin fifties in his maiden Test in Bangladesh, and a spectacular 139 at Trent Bridge in Zimbabwe's first Test in England in over two decades.

"That was absolutely amazing," he says of his Trent Bridge knock. "To play a Test match against England in England for Zimbabwe… it was more of just sort of soaking in the atmosphere. To play in a packed Trent Bridge crowd with lots of Zimbabweans there as well was very special."

On his technique, he keeps it simple. "I sort of stay with a similar technique. I just tell myself to just watch the ball and try to get in strong positions, try to keep my head still and play it as late as possible. I try to keep my game pretty simple."

He has a fondness for the longer format. "We always used to have two-day matches during school. So red ball wasn't new to me. Test cricket is probably one of the better formats. You've got lots of time to get yourself in. It tests you mentally and physically."

While his batting has grabbed headlines, Bennett hasn't neglected his bowling. "I do bowl quite a lot in the domestic franchise league down in Zimbabwe. I do always work on my bowling. I'm not putting all my eggs into batting. With Zimbabwe returning to a global tournament in spin-friendly conditions, that secondary skill could become crucial. "I'm trying to work on a few things and hopefully, I could get a couple of bowling innings in this World Cup."

Bennett's rise has been rewarded with an elevation to vice-captaincy in Tests and ODIs. "I think it was mainly the board decision. They spoke to me, the coach as well. I accepted it. I'm keen to sort of help out where I can. It's an exciting role. There are lots of senior players still in the team. So hopefully, you can learn a lot from them."

Away from cricket, he returns to simpler pleasures. "Back home in Zimbabwe we've got a farm out in Ruwa, just outside of Harare. So, I can go out there and spend a few days at home with my parents. And also I like to play a lot of golf. That's always a good activity to keep you busy."

Looking ahead, this World Cup heralds an important era for Zimbabwean cricket, after missing recent global tournaments. "I just want to make Zimbabwe very competitive again, compete against the big teams, compete in every World Cup that comes," Bennett says. "I just want to win games for Zimbabwe. Try how hard I can, make us compete against those big teams and even cause some upsets."

There are personal goals too. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are his sporting heroes. "As a white ball player, I think that's one of the main goals for most people, to make it to the IPL. I do watch it every year when I'm at home. My team is RCB. So, yeah definitely the IPL is one of the bucket list things to happen." This World Cup could be the platform that nudges him closer to that dream.