From the floodplain to the fire: Doug Bracewell declares himself fit for Black Caps test recall

Doug Bracewell has been plying his trade with the Central Stags, but is now back in the Black Caps squad for the second Sri Lanka test.

Straight from the floodplain, into the fire?

Central Stags all-rounder Doug Bracewell has declared himself fit and ready to add to his 27 test match appearances, and looks to have a chance of playing in the second test against Sri Lanka after Neil Wagner broke down halfway through the first.

The 32-year-old Central Stags bowler - who could also add solidity to New Zealand’s lower-order batting - last represented his country in the red-ball format against South Africa in August 2016.

He would have been a part of the recent test series against England, but for injury.

“It was a bit of a funny one. Unfortunately, I picked up a little groin strain in the one-dayer against Northern Districts [at the start of February], and it was just bad timing,” Bracewell said.

“They told me that if I’d been fit and good to go then I would have been selected, but that’s the way it goes.”

Bracewell returned to action in the four-day Plunket Shield game against Northern Districts at the start of this month, where he clocked up his 22nd first-class 50 and, last weekend, came the news that he had been added to the squad for the second test against Sri Lanka, starting this Friday at the Basin Reserve.

“I got a phone call on Saturday after we had Central Districts training. [Black Caps selector] Gavin Larsen called me and gave me the good news and said that I was being brought into the squad for the second test, so it was a good phone call. I’m down here now [in Wellington] and can’t wait to get into it,” he says.

“I was just enjoying playing for the Stags, and I guess I wasn’t really thinking too far ahead. I didn’t think that I was definitely gone or out of the picture, but it did come as a little bit of a surprise which was nice, but it’s a tough team to get into at the moment. I’m proud and just looking forward to, if I get a run, giving it my best shot.”

Bracewell and many of the Central Stags squad live in Hawke’s Bay and were part of efforts to help the community in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

Domestic and international teammate Blair Tickner was playing in the first test against England at Mount Maunganui in the immediate aftermath of the Cyclone, but his father’s property was badly affected and the squad pitched in to help, with Tickner also returning before the start of the second test match.

“The whole team did a working bee at Blair’s Dad’s [house] one of the days, and then a few of us went out on another day, and then me, and my partner and some friends went out the first weekend, just down Pākōwhai Road and Taihape Rd, just helping out as we could - just random people, clearing stuff out of their houses,” says Bracewell.

“It was pretty devastating to see up-front, first-hand, people just losing pretty much everything. It was good that we could get out and help and a lot of other people were out doing the same thing. It was pretty cool to see all the communities coming together and lending a hand where they could.”