Bracewell misses out on NZC contract
Injury and on-field performance rather than Doug Bracewell’s offfield drama was cited as the main reason behind his omission from New Zealand Cricket’s contract list for 2017-18.
After a forgettable season where he suffered a serious, season-ending knee injury in December then was sentenced to 100 hours community work last month for his third drink-driving offence, the 27-test bowler was the notable name missing from the top-21 confirmed yesterday.
Bracewell, injury-troubled offspinner Mark Craig and the retired Luke Ronchi drop off the list while batsmen Jeet Raval and Neil Broom, and allrounder Colin de Grandhomme are all contracted for the first time after cracking New Zealand’s top XI at various stages of the home summer.
Veteran offspinner Jeetan Patel confirmed his international retirement to Fairfax on Thursday, the same day as Ronchi’s announcement. )thers to play for the Black Caps in the past season and miss a contract were Lockie Ferguson, Tom Bruce, Ben Wheeler, Scott Kuggeleijn, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Seth Rance, Dean Brownlie, Todd Astle, Anton Devcich and Glenn Phillips.
Those 11 players, along with Bracewell and Craig, will go on to their major associations’ contract lists, to be announced next month.
With BJ Watling the only specialist wicketkeeper in the top21, the likes of Blundell, Phillips and Northern Districts’ Tim Seifert can push their claims for a white-ball wicketkeeping spot in Ronchi’s absence.
Selector Gavin Larsen said Bracewell’s knee injury, which he sustained when slipping on the outfield at New Plymouth’s Yarrow Stadium, was a major factor in his absence from the list. It is understood his drink-driving conviction, when he rushed home after a panicked call from his partner when their pet cockatoo was mauled by a dog, did not influence his contract rating.
’’Doug is still viewed very positively by the selectors and has a big year in front of him in terms of bouncing back from his injury and proving his worth,’’ said Larsen.
Larsen said de Grandhomme, Raval and Broom all deserved of their contract offers following productive spells for the Black Caps.
Wellington is the only major association not represented on the list, which will mean a logjam at the top of their contracted lineup. Patel will likely be one of those, saying he is committed to another domestic season, while Ronchi will be available for domestic Twenty20 and won’t be contracted to Wellington.
Coach and chief selector Mike Hesson ranks the players on a set formula, based on recent performances and their likelihood of featuring for New Zealand in the coming year. Tests receive double the weighting of one-day internationals and T20 internationals, and the top-21 are offered contracts. The rankings are not made public - players have till next Wednesday to accept or decline.
Captain Kane Williamson is expected to be top-ranked for a third straight year, and receives a $50,000 captain’s fee on top.
Retainers will increase slightly on last season’s which were $205,266 for Williamson at No 1, dropping in increments to $83,498 for those ranked 18-21. Last season’s match fees were $8495 per test, $3682 per ODI and $2407 per T20.