Big blow as Black Caps star ruled out of World Cup

Black Caps all-rounder Michael Bracewell is set to be sidelined for six to eight months after suffering an injury while playing in the UK.

Bracewell ruptured his right Achilles while batting for the Worcestershire Rapids in the English T20 Blast, which will rule him out of the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India starting in October.

The reigning New Zealand men’s ODI player of the year will undergo surgery in the UK this Thursday before beginning a lengthy rehabilitation.

“First and foremost just really feeling for Braces,” Black Caps coach Gary Stead said.

“He sort of came on to the international scene and – especially in the white ball game – has really showed what he can do. And that culminated in being ODI player of the year for us last year.

“With the World Cup just around the horizon, it’s a big loss for us. Certainly feeling for him at the moment.”

Bracewell, who has been away from New Zealand since April after being called up to the IPL, won’t be able to fly home for a couple of weeks following surgery.

The news is a blow to the balance of the Black Caps’ likely first-choice XI, with Bracewell having averaged 42.5 with the bat at a strike rate of 118.6, including incredible rapid centuries against Ireland and India.

The 32-year-old’s absence will deprive the side of a powerful all-rounder, and there is a big drop off from the Black Caps’ top three spin options to potential replacements.

“As an all-rounder, he’s showed that he’s capable of taking teams right down and the power that he’s got and possesses I think gives us a little bit of a fear factor with our team as well,” Stead said of what Bracewell brings to the side.

“You couple that with other guys around him like Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman, who have shown a lot of power, it made that middle order quite a formidable looking proposition. He’s obviously out of that now so it’s up to us to re-jig and re-look at what that might look like for us.”

Bracewell’s misfortune will likely leave a big workload with Ish Sodhi, who will step up as the second spinner alongside Santner, with Phillips perhaps required to twirl down some part-time offies as a third option.

Cole McConchie and Rachin Ravindra now loom into view as possible squad additions as like-for-like all-round replacements for Bracewell, but neither would be likely to make the XI.

Having only got the news yesterday, Stead said he hasn’t looked too deeply into a replacement, but admits it will be a difficult task.

“We have to consider all of our options now. It’s not like in New Zealand we have an unlimited pool of international class cricketers as well. We have to start looking through and digging a little bit deeper now into what the different permutations mean for us, as we look at the replacement.”

Bracewell’s absence comes after captain Kane Williamson also suffered a major injury in the opening match of this year’s IPL.

Williamson ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in April and is highly unlikely to be fit in time for the World Cup.

“Obviously with Kane, he’s certainly fighting and doing everything he can to be there. But still likelihood is not being there,” Stead said.

“And then you put Braces on top of it as well. It is two big losses.”

The Black Caps will hold simultaneous winter training camps at Lincoln and Tauranga from July 26–28 and August 9–11.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission