Brian Bennett's 97* in Defeat Highlights Zimbabwe's T20 WC Learning Curve

Bennett stressed the WC preparation Zimbabwe did and felt it paid off for him throughout the tournament.

Zimbabwe's 72-run loss to India, following a 107-run loss to West Indies, has sealed their exit from the T20 World Cup, with South Africa qualifying for the semifinal from their group and the shoot-off for the second semifinal spot in Group 1 being between India and West Indies, who will play a virtual knockout match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on March 1.

"We are very grateful, we've done a lot of preparation up to this World Cup, and thankfully for me, it's sort of paid off. I just try to go through my daily processes, not try to think too much about how I am going to get the runs. Just when I am out there, just sort of have a clear mind, clear head, and not think too much, and I think paying off at the moment," Bennett told the reporters after the match.

In the chase of 257 runs against India, Bennett scored a valiant 97* in 59 balls, with eight fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 164.41 and had a 72-run stand with his skipper Sikandar Raza. It is the highest total by a Zimbabwe player in the tournament's history, outdoing Raza's 82 against Ireland in the 2022 edition in Australia.

Bennett has had a sensational run at the grandest stage, in his first-ever World Cup across any format, scoring 277 runs in five matches at an average of 277.00 and a strike rate of above 135. Staying unbeaten four times, Bennett scored three fifties, with this being his best knock.

So far, he is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, behind Pakistan's Sahibzada Farhan (283 runs in five innings at an average of 70.75 at a strike rate of 158.10, with a century and two fifties).

Bennett remained focused on learning and improvement, especially after the recent matches against West Indies and India. He also said that they're looking to take positives from these games and apply them to their upcoming match against South Africa.

"I think it's the first time we as Zimbabwe have qualified for the Super 8s. So obviously, there's been a lot of highs in tournaments so far, and for that, we're grateful. We've got one more game against South Africa, and we're going to try and learn as much as possible. I think we've learnt a lot from the last two games against West Indies and India today. So now it's mainly just about learning and looking where we can improve as a team and as individuals as well," he added.

The Raza-led side nonetheless had a run to remember, their best-ever performance in the T20 World Cup, with wins over former champions Australia and Sri Lanka in the group stage being standouts.

- ANI