Wankhede Stadium witnessed a historic moment on Monday, 23 February. zimbabweyoung genius Brian Bennett ultimately dismissed for the first time t20 world cup 2026.
Entering the Super 8 clash against West Indies with a brilliant unbeaten innings, Bennett’s luck ran out against a world-class piece of left-arm spin. Akil Hossein. Chasing a mammoth target of 255, the Zimbabwean opener was clean bowled on a ball that has already been given the title of ‘ball of the tournament’. The dismissal not only ended a remarkable individual run, but also signaled the beginning of a disastrous powerplay for Zimbabwe, who found themselves under scoreboard pressure from the record-breaking West Indies.
Akeal Hossein’s ‘Ripper’ ends Brian Bennett’s unbeaten record in T20 World Cup 2026
This dismissal happened on the very first ball of the third over, which was bowled at a speed of exactly 85.4 kilometers per hour. Akil Hossein created a classic “ripper” that would move towards the leg stump, dip sharply to deceive the batsman in flight, and then catch the surface to sweep with venom. Bennett attempted to maintain his offensive intent by swinging across the line, but was completely defeated by lateral movement. The ball crossed the outside edge and hit the top of the off-stump, leaving the Wankhede crowd astonished. By this delivery, Bennett had scored 175 runs without losing his wicket once in the competition, making it ‘Timber!’ This moment is one of the most important highlights of the Super 8 stage.
Here is the video:
Wankhede massacre against Zimbabwe: West Indies post mammoth 254/6
Bennett’s wicket could prove to be the last nail in the coffin for chasing a target that was already considered ‘impossible’. Earlier in the evening, West Indies posted a record-breaking batting total of 254/6, the highest in this World Cup and the second highest in T20 World Cup history. Genocide was led Shimron HetmyerWho played a breathtaking inning of 85 runs in just 34 balls, which included seven big sixes. Hetmyer completed his half-century in just 19 balls, setting a new record for the fastest half-century by a West Indian in the history of the tournament. The former captain fully supported him rovman powellWho scored 59 off 35, the pair put together a disappointing partnership of 122 runs which completely confounded the Zimbabwean bowlers.
Powerplay collapse: Zimbabwe’s top order fails against Hosein
The result of Bennett’s dismissal was immediate and devastating, as Hosein completed a sensational double wicket with his first dismissal. Ryan Burl Out for a duck after just three balls. with Matthew Forde has already taken the wicket of Tadivanashe MarumaniZimbabwe were reduced to 20/3 in the space of just five balls. This result has massive implications for the team IndiaBecause West Indies’ impressive NRR boost puts huge pressure on the defending champions to win their upcoming fixtures against Zimbabwe and West Indies. As the powerplay ended with Zimbabwe at 47/3, further work went ahead Sikandar RazaFor the people it became a matter of survival rather than victory.
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