Zimbabwe’s return to England for the first time in 22 years hasn’t offered many reasons to celebrate so far, but Bennett’s 139 off 143 balls was a bright spark. His innings not only lifted the tourists but also offered hope to a nation eager to see its cricket rise again. At just 21, Bennett has now scored two Test centuries in six months, joining the ranks of Zimbabwe’s recent centurions like Sean Williams and Craig Ervine — both veterans nearing the twilight of their careers. Bennett’s youth signals a promising future for Zimbabwe cricket, one that hopes to shift from reaction to proactive growth and recognition.

Though Zimbabwe is not currently part of the World Test Championship and remains unsure about future inclusion, they have scheduled 11 Tests this year, and Bennett looks set to be central to their plans. His century at Nottingham was the fastest by a Zimbabwean in Tests, showing intent as he faced England’s imposing first innings total of 565 for 6.

Bennett explained his approach: “If it’s in my area, I’m going to try and go for it. It’s in my game plan, not too reckless and today it came off. Opening the batting in Test match cricket is probably where I want to bat. It gives me more freedom. There are more gaps in the field, and that suits my game. If I stick to my game plans, I can get the team off to a good start, and that’s what happened.”

Zimbabwe struggled against the swinging ball of Ben Stokes, whose mastery exposed their inexperience with the Dukes ball — something Bennett himself admitted was a challenge. “It’s not something we face but there’s always challenges in cricket. You’re only going to grow when you go out of your comfort zone,” he said.

This was also Bennett’s first real encounter with a short-ball barrage at Test level. His school coach, Andrew Birch, highlighted his unusual strength on the back foot, which Bennett demonstrated with crisp cut shots, including the one that took him to his century — though Josh Tongue eventually got the better of him.

Reaching the hundred means Bennett’s name will now be etched on the prestigious Trent Bridge honours board, alongside Zimbabwean great Murray Goodwin. “This morning I saw them putting up Zak Crawley’s name and I thought, ‘ooooh, it would be nice to be there as well,’ so a few hours later, my name will be there. What a feeling,” he said.

Asked if this innings topped his maiden century against Afghanistan in Bulawayo, Bennett didn’t hesitate: “Probably, yes. This one tops that. To do it against England in England at Trent Bridge with a full crowd, with lots of Zimbabweans as well as my family, it’s going to take a good performance to beat this one.”

At 21, Bennett knows the journey has just begun. “I’m still young, I’m still young. I’m still going to learn and adapt to different bowling strategies.”

And for Zimbabwean fans, that means it might soon be time for new songs — new war cries to celebrate a new era.

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