Bracewell wants some action
Michael Bracewell and a sold-out Hagley Oval crowd will be hoping for more cricket to be played in New Zealand’s series finale against India.
Showers are forecast for late afternoon in Christchurch tomorrow when the third ODI day-night encounter between the two sides is scheduled, following Sunday’s abandoned game in Hamilton.
Only 12.5 overs were possible in India’s innings, as Bracewell got his first start in the last 11 international white-ball outings by New Zealand.
The off-spinner delivered just two overs, which conceded 18 runs, as the visitors effectively switched from one-day to T20 mode after a reduction in overs available following a rain-break.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead said he was expecting more spin at Seddon Park that was on offer in the opening game of the ODI series at Eden Park, when Bracewell remained unwanted.
But the rain made it tough for the bowlers to grip the ball, and with a ‘‘wicket sped up by rain and drizzle’’, he wasn’t able to get much of a gauge on what Bracewell could achieve against India – yet he remained a fan of the all-rounder.
‘‘Michael’s been part of our squad for a long time, he’s a fantastic player, we like the look of the skills that he’s got,’’ Stead said. ‘‘I guess sometimes it’s hard fitting 13 into 11.’’
Bracewell’s off-spin offers a little variety to New Zealand’s bowling attack – instead of playing four right-arm seamers and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner – and his batting also bolsters the late middle-order, but it’s not easy to become a Black Caps regular.
‘‘I think we’ve had a number of consistencies in our team for a while now – we try and be very consistent with our selections and the way we go about selecting the sides . . . I think we’ve had a number of players that you’ll look back in history and say ... here’s a number of players that have been New Zealand greats as well,’’ Stead said.
‘‘You put all that stuff together and look at the style we try and play and try and play for each other out there, and I think the guys have done that really well over the last six to eight years.’’
That’s part of the reason why no matter what the result in Christchurch, New Zealand will remain top of the ICC ODI rankings as they look ahead to next year’s World Cup in India.
But Stead isn’t interested in where his troops sit statistically.
‘‘The rankings for me are a little bit irrelevant really.
‘‘Once the game starts, it doesn’t really matter what your ranking is – it’s two teams playing against each other.’’