Cricket: Doug Bracewell makes successful Black Caps return

New Zealand's Doug Bracewell celebrates the wicket of Chris Gayle. Photo / Photosport

Doug Bracewell is back, and among the wickets for New Zealand, but also sounding a slightly cautious note after a satisfying return to the national side today.

The fast-medium seamer took four wickets to win the man of the match award and help undermine the West Indies innings, which led to a five-wicket victory at Cobham Oval.

Bracewell took important wickets with his first two legal deliveries, including opener Chris Gayle. He and Shai Hope were caught behind and it put a spring in the bowler's step.

He didn't have much of that over the last few months as he recovered from a bad left knee injury picked up last season. There was a winter of rehab and he made no secret last night that the return to training with Central Districts wasn't a barrel of laughs.

''I'm not going to lie it was pretty tough, it was quite sore but I managed to get through,'' he said.

His form with CD has been good – 14 wickets at 25 and 245 runs at a cracking 81.66 including two fifties in the Plunket Shield - and the New Zealand selectors clearly felt he was ready to return.

The player himself voiced the odd doubt about how the knee would stand up when he was returning to the CD side.

''Yeah definitely. In the first couple of games (with CD) I was a little nervous and anxious.

''It's improving day by day but it's one of those things I've got to manage and monitor.

''It has improved a hell of a lot in the last couple of weeks so there's positive signs there.''

Bracewell's last ODI was in India late last year.

He's now up to 22 wickets in 15 ODIs at 29.4 each. He looked lively today and while more expensive than he'd have liked, it was an encouraging return.

As it happened: Black Caps v West Indies

He was ''stoked'' for team mate Todd Astle, who took three inexpensive wickets on his ODI debut and enjoyed watching openers Colin Munro and George Worker take the Windies attack apart in their 108-run opening stand.

''It was exciting but I've been around this group a while. It's just good to be back when the team is going well. The guys were all encouraging and gave me that belief.''

His batting is coming along and he's optimistic he can back captain Kane Williamson's belief that he can do a job with the bat around No 7.