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ST GEORGE'S, Grenada - John Bracewell is maintaining a defensive stance on his coaching future despite job possibilities continuing to mount as his cricket World Cup rivals fall by the wayside.
Bracewell, who took over from Dennis Aberhart in 2003, appears to have no shortage of options should his tenure with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) end when his current contract expires in August.
The untimely death of Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer, Greg Chappell's abandonment of the Indian post and today's decision by Duncan Fletcher to end his association with England leaves Bracewell as one of the few World Cup coaches to have enhanced his reputation in the West Indies.
However, he reiterated he would not be hastily adding a World Cup semifinal berth to his CV before posting it off to potential employers.
Asked if would be interested in succeeding Fletcher as England's mentor, the former test offspinner shouldered arms.
"My contract is up for review at the end of the tournament like everyone else's.
"Let's wait and see and get this out of the way first," he said on the eve of New Zealand's pre-semifinal hit out against Australia at the Grenada National Stadium.
"I'll leave that (speculation about the England job) until this tournament is completed.
"I don't want anything to distract me or our team from the job at hand."
Bracewell, who enjoyed a successful stint at English county side Gloucestershire before succeeding Aberhart, has maintained a noncommittal attitude about his future since he was first quizzed about his post-Cup plans in Guyana earlier this month.
"I just want to stay focused on this (tournament), focused on the pleasure of it. We've worked bloody hard to get here and that's where I want my attention to remain."
Bracewell's future direction may be influenced by his close friend and immediate superior Martin Snedden's resignation as NZC's chief executive. Snedden is to take over the company in charge of organising the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Former New Zealand allrounder and Auckland businessman Justin Vaughan has been confirmed as Snedden's successor, a move destined to alter the relationship between the national team coach and the NZC administration.
However, it will be hard to argue against the 49-year-old's retention, should he seek an extension, if the Black Caps lift the symbol of one-day supremacy in Barbados on April 28.
Bracewell's methodology in rotating players -- he describes it as building "a squad mentality" -- during the summer attracted plenty of criticism though the rationale appears spot-on given New Zealand's steady progress to within a win of World Cup decider for the first time since the tournament was instigated in 1975.
After a disappointing Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series campaign in Australia, the side rebounded emphatically to sweep the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series 3-0 before stringing together six consecutive victories in the Caribbean until Sri Lanka spiked the run with a six-wicket triumph here last week.
New Zealand are seeking to make amends against the 1996 champions (Sri Lanka) in their sudden-death showdown in Jamaica on Tuesday (2.30am Wed NZT).
Regardless of the outcome against a side that has had the Black Caps' measure in recent times, strike bowler Shane Bond had no doubt Bracewell's meticulous planning had been instrumental in guiding New Zealand to the final four.
"A lot of credit goes to John Bracewell," he said.
"From last season, we have put into place systems and we have just trusted the system and gone through with it. Obviously, we haven't played well inside the year but there was a real calmness about the team.
"We knew what we were doing, we knew we could play better cricket, and we were believing at some stage we were going to kick into gear. We never went into panic stations; we had rotation, guys were being rested and coming in.
"Everyone understood what it was for. I think we are getting the rewards for that calmness.
"I don't think we have played as well and as consistent cricket as we have for this length of time, probably since I have been in the team."
- NZPA
