The return of BLACKCAPS allrounder Doug Bracewell for the business end of The Ford Trophy comes at a fortuitous time for the team looking for a remarkable seventh consecutive win in the competition on Sunday.
Bracewell returns to top qualifiers the Central Stags after having recovered from a right hamstring injury, sustained during the final BLACKCAPS T20 International against the West Indies at Bay Oval at the New Year.
The timing of the experienced 27-year-old’s return not only further strengthens the Stags’ all-round stocks heading towards next Saturday’s 1v2 Semi-Final — for which the team qualified with a round to spare, but comes just as Blair Tickner — the competition’s leading pace bowler with 13 wickets — sits out this weekend’s Round Eight game against Northern Districts with a shoulder niggle.
Bracewell says that although it’s been frustrating stuck in the gym doing his rehab while the rest of the team has marched on through an exciting campaign — especially after having missed the bulk of the previous season with an injured knee, it’s been exciting following their fortunes and seeing the “young fellas” step up.
“It must be a bit of a hard team to pick at the moment because everyone is doing so well. Ticks stepping up this summer as been fantastic and with him having played every game so far it’s probably not a bad thing for him to rest up this weekend. All the other guys have been performing as well, and it’s good to see Josh Clarkson back rolling his arm over again at the bowling crease for us — he adds a lot of value to the team as an allrounder.”
Personally of course he concedes it’s been frustrating to have been “back in the workshop” so soon after earning his return to the BLACKCAPS.
“Yeah, it has been pretty disappointing, obviously getting back into the New Zealand side, getting into a good rhythm with the bowling and then injured — but those thing happen as a bowler. You can’t do anything about it other than put in the work so I’m just excited to be fit again and ready to play, especially with the Stags doing so well.”
Bracewell, who recently signed on with Northamptonshire for the start of the coming English County summer, is just one of a number of the Stags looking forward to getting back onto McLean Park this Sunday — weather permitting — in their first Napier home match of the season.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing at McLean Park. Every time we’ve played there, it’s been a pretty good cricket wicket and, since we haven’t played there for a while, I’m really looking forward to getting back into it there.
“The wicket’s obviously going to be covered for the few days leading in so I’m not too sure what we’re going to get, but being the first game there on a new deck it’s likely to be bowler friendly conditions — a bit of grass on the top for us seamers when we hopefully get out there on Sunday.”
Bracewell for Tickner is the only change to the squad that successfully chased down 258 at the Basin Reserve on Wednesday, and this Sunday they will be up against an ND side that’s hungry to overtake the second-placed Auckland Aces on the table in order to join the Stags in the advantageous 1v2 Semi-Final — which will be played next Saturday at Taranaki’s Pukekura Park.
The loser of the 1v2 Semi-Final has a second life as they progress to the midweek Elimination Final; while the 3v4 Semi-Final is a sudden death for the loser. The winner of 3v4 meanwhile gets to play the loser of 1v2 in the Elimination Final to determine who meets the winner of the 1v2 Semi-Final in the Grand Final.
The Central Stags have won The Ford Trophy twice in the past three years and Bracewell says the side will be unfazed going back up against the team that defeated them in this year’s Burger King Super Smash T20 Grand Final, now minus Tim Seifert who has been called into the BLACKCAPS and Anton Devcich who is playing in the Hong Kong T20 Blitz.
“That was then,” says Bracewell. “This is now.”
Central Stags v Northern Districts
Round Eight | McLean Park, Napier 11am Sunday 11 February
CENTRAL STAGS
Will Young (captain)
George Worker
Ben Smith
Jesse Ryder
Tom Bruce
Dane Cleaver (w)
Josh Clarkson
Doug Bracewell
Adam Milne
Bevan Small
Seth Rance
Ajaz Patel
NORTHERN DISTRICTS
Dean Brownlie (c)
Brent Arnel
Henry Cooper
Daniel Flynn
Zak Gibson
Brett Hampton
Nick Kelly
Scott Kuggeleijn
Daryl Mitchell
Brett Randell
Joe Walker
BJ Watling (w)
