Michael Bracewell is touch and go for New Zealand’s five-match T20 series in India, which starts on Wednesday night in Nagpur, after straining his left calf during Sunday’s deciding ODI in Indore. Team medical staff describe the injury as “minor”, but they will keep him under observation before confirming whether he can take the field.
The all-rounder, who captained the side to a 2-1 ODI triumph – the Black Caps’ first such success on Indian soil – has travelled with the T20 squad. Head coach Rob Walter preferred to wait before ruling him in or out.
In the meantime Northern Districts quick-bowling all-rounder Kristian Clarke has been asked to stay on for the first three T20s. The 25-year-old enjoyed an eye-catching ODI debut, collecting seven wickets, two of them three-fors, and chipping in with useful late-order runs.
“We’ve got a fair bit of player movement at the moment with some guys returning from injury for this series, others joining us immediately from franchise cricket and the rest coming off the India ODI series and Super Smash,” Walter said. “We want to ensure we’ve got enough pace-bowling options for the first three games of this series and it’s a great opportunity for Kristian to stay on with the group a little longer on his first tour of India.”
Walter added: “He certainly showcased his talent in the ODI series, but what was particularly impressive was his calmness and ability to perform under pressure.”
New Zealand’s seam attack for the T20s already includes Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson, with James Neesham offering the batting-all-rounder option. Should Bracewell be ruled out, Mitchell Santner – already named captain – will need an extra spin-bowling partner, though Rachin Ravindra and Ish Sodhi remain available.
“It was incredibly special to win the ODI series and create some history,” Walter reflected. “There were lots of special performances combined with fantastic team work to achieve something that hadn’t been done before.” With a hop straight into T20 cricket, he accepts recovery time is limited. “With a short turnaround to the T20 series we know we’ll need to recover well and refocus quickly to be ready for the opening game on Wednesday night.”
New Zealand T20 squad
Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi, Kristian Clarke
Clarke available for first three matches only
