Bracewell to join Firebirds

Former New Zealand A captain and fringe Black Cap Michael Bracewell is headed to Wellington after ending a six-year cricketing stint with Otago.

Firebirds coach Bruce Edgar confirmed Bracewell, the 26-year-old batsman with 58 first-class appearances, had signed transfer documents and will be offered a Cricket Wellington contract for the coming season.

The gifted left-hander will slot into Wellington’s top-four and replace veteran Hamish Marshall who looks to have played his final first-class match, but will be available for the Firebirds’ Twenty20 title defence.

His arrival in the capital also means the Bracewell name will feature in the record books of all six New Zealand first-class sides, after father Mark (Otago), uncles John (Otago and Auckland), Brendon (Otago, Central Districts and Northern Districts) and Doug (CD and Canterbury), along with Michael’s cousin Doug (CD).

Bracewell’s first-class average sits at 34.9, including seven centuries. In white ball cricket he can give the ball a thump, and in 65 list-A matches averages 31 at a strike rate of 88. In 51 T20 matches he averages 27 at a strike rate of 127.

Marshall, meanwhile, is now working in the insurance business in Wellington and signalled at season’s end his first-class career was probably over at age 38, with 264 matches to his name.