Hamish Bennett

Hamish Kyle Bennett is a Kiwi fast bowler whose career was squandered due to unfortunate injuries. He came into the New Zealand international set-up back in 2010 but the injury-prone right-arm fast-medium underwent three big halts in his international career that messed up his career completely. Bennett is a hit-the-deck kind of a bowler who has the ability to click at mid-140s on a regular basis. 

The pacer first came into the domestic setup as a 17-year-old when he represented Canterbury in December 2005. Then, went on to play for the Blackcaps in the Under-19 World Cup in the 2006 event. After his dazzling domestic performances, Bennett got his maiden national callup in 2010. 

Bennett made his International debut against Bangladesh in an ODI in October 2010, followed by his Test debut against India, a month later. Bennett shared his Test debut with Kane Williamson, where the latter scored a century and the former got his groin pulled after bowling just 15 overs. The duo have had a contrasting affair since then, as Williamson went on to become a Kiwi veteran and it was Bennett’s only Test. 

Though, Bennett enjoyed a bit sucess in the 50-overs format. He featured in the 2011 World Cup where he got four opportunities to represent New Zealand and then got his first big halt. He made a comeback in 2014 in an ODI against India at Auckland and played two games before finding a serious back injury. In those games, he tested Virat Kohli with his well-directed bouncers and also got the prized wicket of the Indian star. 

Bennett again made a comeback three years later against Bangladesh in a tri-series but, again, after playing a couple of games, the injury-prone quick found a niggle and got sidelined from the international arena for three more years.

In June 2018, his domestic side Canterbury pulled his contract out and Wellington awarded him a fresh contract for the 2018–19 season. The pacer was the leading wicket-taker in the 2018-19 Ford Trophy tournament, with 28 dismissals in 12 matches and also the leading wicket-taker in the 2019–20 Super Smash tournament, with 17 wickets in 11 games. 

After the back-to-back domestic seasons, he was again awarded an international comeback in 2020 and made his T20I debut after playing the sport at the international level for over a decade. 

Bennett is at fagend and currently working as the bowling coach with the Wellington team. The fast bowler would like to cherish all the moments and make most out of it before he becomes a full-time coach. 

(As of March 2021)