Zimbabwe's song
They still have something to give to cricket. Their song is not over.
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Brian Bennett has a twin, and some say the brother is even better than him. I have kept my eye on this for a while, because a few years back I was told by someone to watch out for the Bennett twins. This was an old school cricket person who had worked across South Africa and Zimbabwe, and he wasn’t someone to hype up a player. So when Brian Bennett came through, I assumed his brother was next.
But I’ve been commentating with former Zimbabwean bowler Ed Rainsford this week and so I asked him about the other Bennett, David. The last game I could find of Bennett at the top level was a 77 not out against West Indies Under 19s. But that was in 2022. Ed told me the reason David Bennett has not played for Zimbabwe is because he quit to be a tobacco farmer.
Talent has never been an issue for Zimbabwe. You could look around the world right now and find many players with other countries or in professional set ups who are Zimbabwean. The issue is the team keeping them.
They managed to keep one Bennett, and he (Brian) made a hundred in his first Test in England while still being only 21. They still have something to give to cricket. Their song is not over.
There was a moment in England’s innings where Blessing Muzarabani was fired up, he’d just dismissed Harry Brook after a decent spell. But the anger was disappointment. Muzarabani is their main star, and on day one, he hadn’t done his job. He was still the most dangerous of their bowlers. But he couldn’t break through, and England had their way. It was too late when he did, but that anger exploded out of him.
Muzarabani has been one of their most important cricketers for generations. A six eight fast bowler with a good ability to move the ball in both directions. Many of their other stars were late bloomers, but he stood out (literally) from an early age. But after Zimbabwe failed to make the 2019 World Cup, he decided to take a career up under Kolpak with Northants. He might have stayed there if not for Brexit changing the regulations. Even then, he was also almost given a Major League Cricket contract with the hopes of qualifying for the USA team. Everyone wanted Muzarabani, and this almost ended his Zimbabwean career.
Craig Ervine was once offered a winter contract to play for Zimbabwe, and he went off to play club cricket in Western Australia. He should have been a lifer for this team, as he comes from Zimbabwean cricket royalty: starting in 2010 and now captaining their Test side. But it is never that simple. A long career in Zimbabwe is almost always filled with moments you’re not around.
Sean Williams has been around for an awful long time. How long? Well, he now has the fifth-longest ODI career. Only three years and 301 matches fewer than Sachin Tendulkar. But he’s unlocked a new level over the last few years, making runs everywhere. This Test knock was just a continuation of his awesome form.
It wasn’t all fun for him, he also took a ball to the arm from Josh Tongue that looked like it was going to end his day. But he played on.
He wasn’t the only one hurt. Richard Ngarava has been an incredible new ball bowler for the national team for an age. In this Test, he let his team down. Then he went to field a ball and did his back. But even though he could barely walk, he still came out on the field to try to give the team something.
Ben Curran is that kind of cricketer on his own. He might be the fourth-best cricketer in his own family, but it is not for lack of trying. He is a thorough professional, and you can see it at every moment on the field. On day one, he was closing off his front foot, so he came back on the third day and stopped doing that. He is a pro’s pro, from a family of cricket. Never going to be the star, but it’s important that he’s there.
Sikandar Raza is their star. A man who could have been flying fighter jets in Pakistan, is instead the talisman of this Zimbabwe lineup. And he’s only this good because of will. He’s not the most naturally talented player, but is someone who has spent his entire life trying to get to this level.
In the last few years, he’s been incredible. Winning ICC awards, getting IPL contracts and setting highlight reels alive. He’s decided that he won’t be available for every Test, in part because this is the period in his life he can finally cash in on his hard work. But when Zimbabwe needed him, he came back. And then even ended up bowling way more than he ever would have thought on day one. Even their stars have to be role players.
They didn’t have a 12th man, they had thousands of them. The Zimbabwe crowd is one of the most special in cricket. As Ed Rainsford said, “Sport is magical in Zimbabwe.” It’s almost communal.
By day three, this almost felt like a Zimbabwe home game.
There were pockets of fans everywhere, lighting up the ground with their red shirts and eagles. They sang, they cheered, they stood, for their team. It was clear it meant something more than just a Test.
They didn’t come to the ground expecting a win, they came because they wanted to show support. To the poor Victor Nyauchi who couldn’t land the ball on the right place, to Tafadzwa Tsiga who kept getting hit trying to reach wide ones and the promising Wessly Madhevere, who is just finding his way. They cheered through Sikandar Raza’s weird long spell, for every boundary, and even for Miss Universe Zimbabwe.
They were here for their country, almost every single one of them in the national colours, supporting their team. When the game finished, their players supported them. Many jumping the fence to get in among family and friends. This was not fans on one side and players on the other, it was Zimbabwe united.
This was more than a Test, this was a chance for celebration.
But through that, they obviously got moments. Maybe none more than Brian Bennett’s hundred. A 21-year-old middle order player who did the most Zimbabwean thing ever, and asked for the tough job of opening the batting in England. He slashed, drove, swept and hooked his way to a better than a run-a-ball hundred. It was exhilarating, as a neutral.
It is something more to the Zimbabweans. In 1983, they beat Australia; by 2003, they were co-hosting a tournament. The following 20 years have a lot tougher.
This Test was a loss on the scoreboard, but to use the parlance of the Bazballian lot, it was a moral win. They were here, they sang songs and made runs.
They still have something to give to cricket. Their song is not over.