Doug Bracewell gives Black Caps reminder
Remember Doug Bracewell?
A month past his 30th birthday, the star of New Zealand’s test win in Hobart in 2011 unleashed a compelling allround performance to make Auckland sweat for their second Plunket Shield win of the season yesterday.
Bracewell’s 102 – his third first-class century – got Central Stags within sight of a remarkable victory chasing 287.
But after he’d cracked five sixes and added 41 for the 10th wicket with Ray Toole, Bracewell skied one to Mark Chapman who took a sharp running catch to dismiss the Stags for 261 and seal a 25-run victory at Eden Park’s Outer Oval.
Canterbury, after their innings victory over Wellington, lead Auckland by two points after two rounds.
Bracewell’s last international was against India in January 2019. He underwent two major knee surgeries since 2017 after he tumbled on a treacherous Yarrow Stadium in New Plymouth, and back to full fitness hit the ground running this season.
With the ball at Eden Park he snared 7-114 for the match, before his near-heroics with the bat, reminding Black Caps coach Gary Stead he still has something to offer.
Auckland’s allrounders dominated the match, with Sean Solia snaring Bracewell’s crucial wicket to give him 4-41 and six for the match, adding to his fivewicket haul against Otago in round one. And test incumbent
Kyle Jamieson played a big part, his second innings 2-46 giving him seven for the match.
In Christchurch, seamer Will Williams snared his maiden fivewicket haul as Wellington’s innings and 19 run defeat left the defending champions bottom.
Williams (5-58) emulated team-mate Fraser Sheat, who also snared his first five-bag in the first innings at Hagley Oval.
Wellington’s Jamie Gibson defied the Canterbury bowlers with 116 not out, his maiden firstclass century, but the hosts were dominant.
Daryl Mitchell snared the winning wicket to dismiss the Firebirds for 276.
■ Legspinner Ish Sodhi enjoyed a wearing Bay Oval pitch with some turn and bounce, snaring 4-89 off 31.1 overs to spin an international-laden ND to their first victory of the season, over Otago, by 90 runs.
Chasing an unlikely 421 to win, Otago gave it a decent crack . Cam Hawkins topscored with 90 and Nick Kelly was hitting stride 82 not out, but ran out of partners.