Bennett set for Black Caps recall
Moving north for the summer has paid off for fast bowler Hamish Bennett.
Wellington’s cricketer of the year is expected to return to the Black Caps fold when the New Zealand squad to face Ireland in the build-up to the Champions Trophy is named this week. Several of the frontline pace bowlers will be absent at the Indian Premier League.
It comes after a strong debut season in new colours, having shifted from Canterbury to Wellington for the 2016-17 season. Bennett tormented opposition batsmen throughout the season, taking 50 wickets across all formats. It was in limited overs cricket where he excelled the most, his pace, slower ball variations and general game awareness putting him into the national selection mix.
In the McDonald’s Super Smash, Bennett took nine wickets at an average of 19, with a miserly economy rate of 6.9, as the Firebirds took out the Twenty20 title. In the Ford Trophy, Bennett was the second-highest wicket taker with 16 at an average of just 20. The move has clearly paid off for Bennett, who was looking to revitalise his cricketing career, realising he may well fizzle out and fail to achieve his international ambitions should he stay in Canterbury.
Bennett last played for New Zealand in January, 2014, against India in Hamilton. That was in a series in which he gave the likes of Virat Kohli a thorough interrogation, and has seen him take 23 ODI wickets at just 23.6.
Bennett has a good sense of humour over his relationship with his coach during Edgar’s days as a New Zealand selector.
‘‘Oh, you know, he’ll say, ‘you’ve got to be pushing yourself to try and play for New Zealand’. If he gives me any compliments I always sort of say to him, ‘it would have been nice to hear that two years ago, mate’.
‘‘He takes it well, gives as good as he gets.’’
One big thing for Bennett this year is his fitness. He only missed four Twenty20 games, but was otherwise fit and healthy for the entire season, through the Plunket Shield and limited overs formats.
‘‘I played quite a bit of cricket this year, so that’s a big thing,’’ Bennett said.