Photo Credit: BCCI
BLACKCAPS all-rounder Michael Bracewell is set to be sidelined for six to eight months after rupturing his right achilles while batting for the Worcestershire Rapids in the English T20 Blast.
The reigning ANZ Men’s ODI Player of the Year will undergo surgery in the UK this Thursday before beginning a lengthy rehabilitation which will rule him out of the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India this October-November.
BLACKCAPS coach Gary Stead said it was a big blow for Bracewell and the team.
“Firstly, you always feel for the player when injury strikes and especially when it means they will have to miss a world event,” Stead said.
“Michael’s a great team man and has had a fantastic 15 months for the BLACKCAPS since his international debut.
“We’ve seen his exceptional skills in all three facets of the game and he was shaping as an important player for us at the world cup in India.
“Michael’s naturally pretty disappointed, but also pragmatic in acknowledging that injuries are a part of sport and he’s now turning his focus to his rehabilitation.”
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 BLACKCAPS will hold simultaneous winter training camps at Lincoln and Tauranga from July 26–28 and August 9–11.
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
