Brian Bennett reckoned Zimbabwe’s batting unit won this one long before the chase began. The right-hander anchored the innings with 64 not out from 56 deliveries, guiding his side to a steady 169 for 2 – a total that proved just a touch beyond Australia.
“They’ve got quality bowlers, and parking our egos there – especially towards the bigger boundary with the match-ups, and especially with the wind blowing from that direction, was one of the things we spoke about there in the middle,” Bennett said afterwards. “I think it was more about just hitting the ball on the ground, trying to get the twos, and running them hard. I think we did that well to get to 170. I thought it was a good score.”
The pitch sat on the western fringe of the Khettarama square, which meant one side of the ground was a fair hike longer than the other. Zimbabwe’s batters resisted the obvious temptation to swing for the short rope. Singles, well-judged twos, and the odd boundary into the wind-assisted side formed the backbone of a plan agreed in the dressing room and reiterated in the middle.
Bennett opened with Tadiwanashe Marumani, whose brisk 35 from 21 balls gave the innings early thrust. Their 61-run partnership arrived inside seven overs, putting Australia immediately on the defensive. “I think the main thing was just to stick to my processes,” Bennett noted. “We got off to a good start there with Marumani. I started a bit slow, but I think that was the type of wicket where you get yourself in, and it gets easier. Especially our powerplay, to get 47 without loss, that set a good tone for our innings.”
Once Marumani departed, Bennett continued the methodical accumulation, helped by tidy cameos from the middle order. Only two wickets fell, a rarity in modern T20, and both came attempting to up the rate rather than through reckless stroke-play.
The win leaves Zimbabwe level with Sri Lanka on two victories in Group B, their earlier success over Oman giving them maximum points so far. A place in the Super Eights is now in clear sight, though Bennett prefers not to peer too far down the road. “It’s a great start to get two out of two wins this tournament,” he said. “We’ve got two more games left in the pool matches, and we just need to go back to the drawing board and not to get too far ahead of ourselves. Hopefully we can come out on top of those as well.”
Next up is Ireland on Tuesday, before the potential decider against Sri Lanka two days later. For now, Zimbabwe will settle for a tactical job well done – egos parked, chances taken.
