Zimbabwe's Brian Bennett said he felt as if he was back in Harare after a loyal band of travelling fans cheered him all the way to a record-breaking century in a one-off Test against England at Trent Bridge on Friday, May 23.
In Zimbabwe's first Test in England in 22 years, the opener struck a sparkling 139 off just 143 balls, with over a hundred of those runs coming in boundaries. By reaching his century in 97 balls, Bennett broke the record for the fastest Test hundred by a Zimbabwe batsman that previously belonged to Sean Williams, who hit a 106-ball effort against New Zealand at Bulawayo in 2016.
Unfortunately for Zimbabwe, opener Bennett's heroics were not enough to prevent his side from following on, with the tourists dismissed for 265, exactly 300 runs behind England's imposing first-innings 565/6 declared. By the close of Friday's second day of four, the tourists were facing defeat at 30/2, with a deficit of 270 runs and Bennett out for just one in Zimbabwe's second innings.
However, nothing could diminish Bennett's joy in joining Andy Flower and Murray Goodwin as only the third Zimbabwean to score a Test century against England.
Although outnumbered in Nottingham, the Zimbabwe supporters made their presence felt, with many dressed in the colours of their national flag, and an elated Bennett told reporters after stumps: "I could hear them singing the war cries we always get at Harare Sports Club, so it gave me goosebumps a little bit.
"The reception from the crowd was unbelievable -- to do it in England, against England, with my family there, it's going to be a good performance to beat this one."
Trent Bridge staged its first England match in 1899, and Bennett's innings means he will join Goodwin as well as such all-time greats as Donald Bradman, Denis Compton, Vivian Richards, and Geoffrey Boycott on the pavilion honours board dedicated to all those who have scored Test hundreds at Nottinghamshire's headquarters.
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