New Zealand speedster Hamish Bennett has decided to hang his boots on his 17-year-old professional career, mentioning that the 2021-22 season would be his last.
The 35-year-old pacer has played 31 games for the Black Caps across the formats, with his most recent appearance came against Bangladesh in a T20I game last September. Coincidentally, Bennett had also made his international debut against Bangladesh in an ODI at Mirpur in 2010.
He only played one Test that came against India in Ahmedabad, which also marked the debut of current New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. Bennett played 19 ODIs and 11 T20Is in total, picking up 33 and 10 wickets, respectively.
Bennett, however, attained impressive numbers in his domestic career. The right-armer made his first-class debut for Canterbury in 2005 and played till the 2015-16 season before moving to Wellington.
Overall, the Timaru-based cricketer made 265 domestic appearances and went on to claim 489 wickets. In that time, he won 12 domestic titles, including five Plunket Shields, two Ford Trophy titles, and four men’s Super Smash titles. He also won a women’s Super Smash title as Wellington Blaze’s bowling coach.
“When I started out as a young kid bowling in the nets in Timaru, I never dreamed I would have gone on to enjoy the career that I’ve had,” Bennett said as quoted by Nzc.nz.
“From Old Boys Timaru Cricket Club, who got me involved in cricket at the start, Timaru Boys’ High School, South Canterbury Cricket, Canterbury Cricket, Cricket Wellington, and New Zealand Cricket, as well as all the other great clubs I’ve played for down the years, they’ve all played a role in helping me achieve my cricket dream.”
“I’ve been so fortunate to work and play alongside so many great players, captains and coaches, and I’d like to thank every one of them for their support over the years. It’s been an honour to represent my family and my country for New Zealand, and those memories and experiences will be ones that I cherish and tell stories about for the rest of my life,” added Bennett.
