Sports
Leading New Zealand is a huge privilege, says Michael Bracewell ahead of T20Is against Pakistan
New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) With less than two months for the Men’s T20 World Cup to begin in the West Indies and the USA from June 1-29, New Zealand’s upcoming tour of five T20Is in Pakistan will play an important part in the visitors’ finalising their squad for the mega event, where their best result has been runners-up finish in 2021 edition.
With most first-choice players plying their trade in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, it allows off-spin all-rounder Michael Bracewell to captain a youthful New Zealand mixed with experienced campaigners when they face Pakistan in a five-match T20I series starting on April 18 in Rawalpindi.
For Bracewell, it has been a long road to returning to international cricket after his last appearance for New Zealand came in March 2023. In June, while batting for Worcestershire in a T20 Blast match against Yorkshire, Bracewell ruptured his right Achilles and underwent surgery. With an estimated recovery period of six to eight months, he was ruled out of playing for New Zealand in the Men’s ODI World Cup in India.
After the slow grind of rehabilitation, Bracewell returned to action in January 2024, before breaking his finger while playing for Wellington, further delaying his international selection. Now on the threshold of international return, Bracewell speaks exclusively to IANS, in a chat facilitated by Sony Sports Network, on the T20I series against Pakistan, his recovery and rehab journey, banking on past leadership experiences and more.
Q. What are the emotions right now about you being on the verge of returning to playing international cricket, and that too as New Zealand captain?
A. First of all, I’m very excited to be named in the squad. It’s been a long layoff from playing international cricket, but I’m very excited to get back out on the field. To be able to play again and then to captain the country is something that I’ve dreamed about as a little boy. So, to be able to get the honour of leading the Black Caps is a huge privilege and it’s something that I’m really very excited about.
Q. It has been a long journey for you to be back from two injuries. What did those first steps towards beginning the recovery look like, especially after the Achilles surgery was done?
A. Firstly, there was a period when I wasn’t able to walk at all. I completely ruptured my Achilles. So, they stitched it back together and you have to give that time to heal. Then I was in a moon-boat for a couple of months and really restricting the movement of the Achilles there.
Then after that, it was a whole lot of rehab and things related to it. So, a lot of calf raises happened and then it was a very gradual process of learning to walk again and then being able to run and then slowly integrating back into the cricket-specific side of things as well. So, it was just over a six-month process of returning to domestic cricket. Then unfortunately after about six games, I ended up quite badly breaking my finger. So, then that was another stint on the sidelines while that recovered as well.
Q. Can you describe the steps of your recovery timeline for the public to understand what you went through?
A. As a cricketer and sportsman, there were little milestones that I wanted to tick off each week. I had a great program put in place by the medical staff at New Zealand Cricket that allowed me to just achieve those small, little milestones. So that first one was being able to walk again and weight bear on the affected leg. Then it was able to run on the anti-gravity machine, which is basically like a fancy treadmill. So with each of those little steps, it became a big step forward in recovery. It wasn’t as though I went from not being able to do anything to suddenly being able to do everything. So that little bit of gain was made in each week and then slowly you build up.
A couple of months pass by and suddenly you’re able to run again, which is very exciting. So those little milestones along the way made it a little bit easier. Watching on the sidelines is never fun, so you’ve always got that big carrot at the end of being back playing. So that was always the motivating factor in it all being able to get back out there and do what I love.
Q. Who were the key people with you in these tough days of recovery and rehab?
A. I have a huge support network in New Zealand. I’ve got my wife Lauren and my little boy Lennox, who I spent a lot more time with over the last seven or eight months, instead of being away playing cricket all the time. So, first of all, I am hugely grateful for that support. At times, you’ve got to look for the silver linings. So, getting to see him grow up and spend a lot more time with him has been amazing. Lauren has been amazing and super supportive too. She made sure that I was able to concentrate on just getting right back on the field.
Then the New Zealand cricket and Wellington cricket medical team, all of their medical staff, especially the S&C person Matt Long in Wellington, were hugely integral in helping me achieve the recovery goals in six months.
Q. What is the biggest takeaway that you’ve learned from this journey, something which will always stay with you?
A. You never really want to go through something as gruelling and painful big injury like that. But I guess the learning that I took from it is if you break it down into small little chunks and just keep trying to find a way to go forward, then you can get your way through the toughest of times. I look back proudly now to those times when you sort of doubt whether you can come back and play again. To look back now and that’s just a distant memory of the rehab that I was having to go through is pretty cool.
Knowing that you can come through something like that and be on the other side of it, I would say, being able to break little things down and just keep trying to find a way forward is something that I’ll take with me through the rest of my cricketing journey.
Q. Coming back to the T20I series against Pakistan, what have been the key learnings from your time of captaining Wellington over the years which will help you in going about captaining the New Zealand team?
A. As a captain, I just want to instill confidence in all of my players to just go out there and perform the role. Whether that’s domestically or internationally, it’s the same principle. You want players going out and believing in themselves and having the confidence to take the game on, particularly in T20 cricket, where it can be quite fickle – success and failure, there’s a fine line between the both of them. It’s also about having the vision of Kane (Williamson) and how he leads the Black Caps regularly. I also don’t want to make it too different from the way that he likes to lead things because it’s been very successful, and it will continue to be successful for the Black Caps with him at the helm. So, don’t really want to rock the boat too much and just try to keep things going as he’s sort of done that throughout his tenure.
Q. With the T20 World Cup around the corner, how much importance does this T20I series against Pakistan hold for you and for probably other Blackcaps players contesting for berths in the main 15-member squads?
A. For me, in particular, I haven’t played international cricket in a long time. I imagine it’ll be very important for me to put my best foot forward. I guess that’s the same for everyone. Every time you play for New Zealand, you want to play to your potential and put your best foot forward and perform for the team. Ultimately that puts you in a good space to be selected for these things that are potentially around the corner (like the Men’s T20 World Cup). So, I’m sure everyone will be in the same boat. It’s a great opportunity to get to play for New Zealand first and foremost.
For me, coming off a long injury layoff, you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself to perform. But you also know that it’s a high-performance environment and performances in the series are what will get you in going where you need to go.
Q. A word on two exciting young New Zealand cricketers – Will O’Rourke and Tim Robinson – who are part of this T20I series against Pakistan?
A. Both of them are immensely talented players, quite young and are a real nod to the future of New Zealand cricket. Tim Robison is a super powerful player and had a great campaign here in the Super Smash. He unfortunately got injured for a couple of games so didn’t manage to play the whole round, but he was one of the leading run scorers through six games. He had an amazing campaign and scored a brilliant 100 at the Basin Reserve which has massive boundaries and he’s clearing them with ease. He’s a powerful player and I’m sure he’s someone that will have a long and great career in the national colours.
Will O’Rourke made his international debut earlier in the season and got a really good taste of it. He’s just taken everything in his stride and done really well with all the opportunities that he’s got. So, this is just another step of progression in his career by playing T20 cricket and he’s got a great skill set.
He’s tall, fast and hits lovely areas with his deliveries. So, I’m sure he’ll be one to watch out for as well. He’s not that pleasant to face, so it’ll be nice to be on the other side of it and see the opposition batters jump around a little bit when facing him in the series.
Sony Sports Network has acquired the exclusive broadcast rights of New Zealand Cricket for seven years.
–IANS
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Bengaluru, Aug 22 (IANS) Shivamogga Lions’ woes continued as they suffered a 28-run defeat to the Mysore Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
Mysore Warriors delivered a well-rounded performance, anchored by Karun Nair’s (45) swift knock, supported by a few other good contributions in the middle order, and highlighted by late-innings fireworks from J Suchith (22*) and Manoj Bhandage (23).
On the bowling front, Vidyadhar Patil (3/29) and Karthik CA (3/31) played crucial roles in restricting the Shivamogga Lions. Sharath HS’ (4/29) lethal spell with the ball and valiant efforts from Abhinav Manohar (46) and Nihal Ullal (46) with the bat couldn’t turn the tide in Shivamogga’s favour.
Chasing 180, Shivamogga Lions got off to a disastrous start, with Vidyadhar Patil’s lethal first over leading to the dismissals of Mohith Bangalore (2) and Dheeraj Mohan (0) in consecutive deliveries. Skipper Nihal Ullal (46) managed to crack a few early boundaries, but Hardik Raj (17) was also removed by Krishnappa Gowtham, leaving the Lions reeling at 41/3 by the end of the powerplay.
K Gowtham then engineered the run out of Rohan Naveen (11), further denting the chase. The in-form Abhinav Manohar (Impact Player) joined Ullal, and the duo breathed life into the innings, putting together a 70-run partnership in just 43 balls.
However, Ullal fell short of his first half-century of the season, leaving the Shivamogga Lions at 123/5 in 15.1 overs. Manohar also narrowly missed his milestone, holing out to K Gowtham off Karthik CA. Manohar’s 26-ball knock included four sixes and three fours, adding valuable runs to the total.
Karthik CA struck again two deliveries later, dismissing Shivraj S and leaving the Lions in deep trouble. With 47 runs needed from the final 18 balls, Ashok D tried to keep the chase alive by smashing a six and a four off Vidyadhar Patil, but perished in the same over, effectively ending Shivamogga’s prospects. Shivamogga Lions finished at 151/9 in 20 overs, enduring their sixth consecutive loss.
Batting first, Mysore Warriors faced an early challenge as Sharath HS unleashed a menacing spell. He struck in the powerplay, dismissing Karthik SU (8), and then returned in the seventh over to remove CA Karthik (30), who smashed three sixes in a 34-run stand with Karun Nair (45) and Harshil Dharmani (0).
Nair continued in fine touch and peppered the boundary with six fours and two sixes during his 23-ball stay before falling to Ashok D in the 11th over.
Kishan Bedare (17) steered the innings, forming a 28-run partnership with Nair and adding another 29 runs with Sumit Kumar (28) before being caught and bowled by Bharath Dhuri, leaving the Warriors at 116/5 in 16.1 overs. The depth of Mysore’s batting lineup came to the fore as Manoj Bhandage and J Suchith launched a late assault.
Vasuki Koushik, tasked with the 18th over, began with a six and a four from Sumit Kumar. Bhandage then took charge, hammering three consecutive sixes off Koushik in the same over before falling as Sharath’s fourth wicket in the 19th ending a blistering 23-run cameo off just seven balls. J Suchith, carried on the momentum, smashing two sixes and a four in an 8-ball flurry, pushing the Mysore Warriors to a competitive 179/7 in their 20 overs.
Brief scores: Mysore Warriors 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Karthik CA 30, Karun Nair 45, Sumit Kumar 28; Sharath HS 4-29) beat Shivamogga Lions 151/9 in 20 overs (Nihal Ullal 46, Abhinav Manohar 46 runs; Vidyadhar Patil 3-29, Karthik CA 3-31) by 28 runs.
–IANS
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Castle Rock (Colorado), Aug 22 (IANS) Indian Americans Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia who failed to make it to the Top-10 last week at the St Jude Championships, the first of the three Play-offs events, will be looking for a better showing as they move towards the finale at the Tour Championships after that.
Last week Hideki Matsuyama, after leading by five at one time, had to birdie the last two holes to win the St Jude Championships. He became the first Asian to win a Play-off event and it was his 10th PGA Tour win, the highest from the continent.
Last week Bhatia was T-12, Rai was T-16 and Theegala was way behind in T-46, but all three have entered the second of the three Play-offs events.
World No, 2 Xander Schauffele, a two-time Major winner in 2024, was tied second last week with Viktor Hovland, while World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was fourth last week, though World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had a poor week in T-68 place.
Among Asians Korea’s Si Woo Kim has all to play for at the BMW Championship, the second of three FedExCup Playoffs events, in Colorado this week, with two big goals providing the drive for him to step up his game.
The four-time PGA TOUR winner tees up at Castle Pines Golf Club with the intention of breaking into the top-30 of the FedExCup points list and qualify for the Playoffs Finale, the TOUR Championship next week. Kim is presently ranked 44th after last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
A strong week is also required for Kim to keep alive his hopes of earning a spot in the International Team to face the U.S. Team in the Presidents Cup in Royal Montreal next month. Currently 14th on the team roster, the top-6 after this week’s BMW Championship will secure automatic spots, with captain Mike Weir naming six more picks after the TOUR Championship.
Compatriots Sungjae Im and Byeong Hun An, who are 10th and 15th respectively on the FedExCup rankings, are virtually assured of teeing up at the TOUR Championship, which will use a staggered-scoring format based on positions after this week.
Irrespective of how his week plays out, Kim is pleased to secure his top-50 status, which guarantees starts in all eight Signature tournaments next season.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) The packed schedule of men’s county cricket in 2025 will remain largely unchanged, despite concerns raised by the majority of players over the impact on their physical well-being.
According to a survey conducted by the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) earlier this season, more than 80 per cent of players expressed fears that the current schedule is too demanding and poses risks to their health.
However, despite these concerns, the 2025 schedule is set to continue as usual. Each county will still compete in a minimum of 14 County Championship matches, eight Metro Bank Cup fixtures, and 14 Vitality T20 Blast games. The changes for next season will be largely cosmetic, offering little relief for players concerned about the gruelling calendar.
The PCA has been advocating for adjustments that would spread out the T20 fixtures across the week, aiming to reduce tight turnarounds and introduce more consistent three-day breaks between Championship games.
“There’s definitely room for improvement in 2025 compared to 2024,” said Daryl Mitchell, the PCA’s interim chief executive, in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “The schedule can definitely be managed better. Certainly, the Blast was very much looked at through a commercial lens, trying to squeeze as many games as possible into Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Utilizing the majority of the week is probably the way forward, trying to spread them out to give that time for recovery, travel, and preparation.”
The T20 Blast, in particular, has been the main point of debate when it comes to scheduling. The timing of the knockout stages has been a significant concern. In 2023, these stages were held immediately after the group matches in July, allowing counties to retain their overseas players. This year, however, the knockout stages will be pushed to September, giving clubs an extended six-week window to market and sell tickets for home quarter-finals.
While these adjustments offer slight improvements, the overall schedule remains packed, leaving many players apprehensive about how much more they can push themselves physically in the long term. Despite the calls for change, it appears that any significant reduction in the number of fixtures is unlikely in the future, with commercial considerations still driving much of the decision-making process around county cricket.
–IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 22 (IANS) After ending his T20I career with an elusive T20 World Cup title in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma revealed that it was his dream to transform the team without thinking too much about the results.
Rohit-led Indian team ended the decade-long ICC title drought after beating South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 to lift their second title in the format. In 2023, the Men in Blue failed to win the World Test Championship and 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit’s leadership after losing to Australia in the finals.
The swashbuckling opening batter also credited the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, former head coach Rahul Dravid and chief selector Ajit Agarkar for their support in transforming the team and creating a fearless culture in the squad.
“It was my dream to transform this team and not worry too much about stats and results and also to make sure that we create an environment where people can go out and play freely, without thinking too much. I got a lot of help from my three pillars Jay Shah, Rahul Dravid and chairman of selector Ajit Agarkar. That was critical for me to do what I did. Obviously, not to forget players who came in at different points in time and helped the team to achieve what we have achieved today,” Rohit said in a video posted by BCCI on X.
On Wednesday, Rohit was awarded ‘Men’s International Cricketer of the Year’ while Dravid was accorded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at Ceat Cricket Rating Awards 2023-24 in Mumbai. India’s batting stalwart Virat Kohli was named the ‘Men’s ODI Batter of the Year’ while on the bowling front, Mohammed Shami was awarded the ‘ODI Bowler of the Year’.
The 37-year-old batter finished as the second-highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup with 257 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 156.70. He played a major role in providing solid starts for the team on the slow pitches of the USA and the West Indies.
After lifting the title, Rohit joined Kohli to announce his retirement from the T20I. With 4,231 runs, Rohit is the leading run-getter in the format behind his teammate Kohli (4188 runs). Both batters will continue to play the other formats of the game. The duo last featured for India in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
–IANS
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Gotemba (Japan), Aug 22 (IANS) A year after being the youngest ever to make the cut at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, Kartik Singh, now 14 years of age, is the highest ranked among the four Indians set to take part in the 15th AAC to be held in Japan.
As of date Kartik is the highest ranked Indian at 199 while the other three players to have received the invitation for this prestigious event are Krishnav Nikhil Chopra and Vedant Sirohi, both past participants in the event and Rakshit Dahiya will be in the four-player team.
Kartik Singh has also been named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup team. A regular winner in junior and amateur events, Kartik will spearhead the Indian challenge.
Apart from India’s Kartik Singh, there are seven others named to the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup International Team. They are Joshua Bai, Warut Boonrod, Xihuan Chang, Rayhan Latief, Khanh Hung Le, Thangwin Lee, Anh Minh Ngyuyen,
As many as 113 players have been confirmed for the Championship, which will be held October 3-6, 2024, at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Gotemba, Japan. A full list of confirmed players can be found. The field will be 120 with a few more names to be added by the Organisers.
India’s best ever placing has been second place by Rayhan Thomas, who was runner-up in Sentosa, Singapore in 2018. The Dubai-based Indian Rayhan has since turned professional, and last week won his first pro title on India’s Professional Tour of India Tour.
Krishnav, who plays college golf in the US, is the son of former India cricketer turned commentator, Nikhil Chopraa, who often takes the role of a caddie for his son.
Created in 2009, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship was established by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC), The R&A and the Masters Tournament to further develop amateur golf in the Asia-Pacific region.
The champion will receive an invitation to compete in the 2025 Masters Tournament and The 153rd Open, while the runner(s)-up will gain a place in Final Qualifying for The Open.
The confirmed list which has players from 38 APGC member organizations is highlighted by defending champion Jasper Stubbs of Australia and four players representing China inside the top 100 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Wenyi Ding (No. 4), Xihuan Chang (No. 36), Xiangyun Bai (No. 61) and Paul Chang (No. 97).
Ding finished runner-up to Stubbs in the 2023 Asia-Pacific Amateur while Xihuan Chang reached the semi-finals of the U.S. Junior Amateur in July.
Other top-100 participants include Vietnam’s Anh Minh Nguyen (No. 68) and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano (No. 78).
Notable past competitors include 2021 Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama, a two-time winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur, and 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith. Over the Championship’s 14-year history, the Championship has served as a springboard to some of the world’s top players, including Matsuyama, Smith, Cameron Davis, Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Satoshi Kodaira, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Min Woo Lee, Keita Nakajima and C.T. Pan. Collectively, alumni of the Asia-Pacific Amateur have gone on to win 27 tournaments on the PGA Tour to date and more than 130 across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.
As the host nation, Japan will lead the list of up to 43 APGC member nations represented with 10 players in this year’s field. A player from Japan has won four of the 14 editions of the Championship (Matsuyama/2010, 2011; Takumi Kanaya/2018; Nakajima/2021).
–IANS
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