Brendon Bracewell back in big cricket?

Press, 5 August 1981, Page 16

Brendon Bracewell back in big cricket?

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

Just over three years ago. New Zealand cricket seemed to have solved one of its major problems: finding an aggressive opening partner for the fast bowler. Richard Hadlee.

At the Oval on July 28,. 1981, an 18-year-old fast bowler, Brendon Bracewell, had Graham Gooch leg before wicket with his third ball in test-cricket. Minutes later, he had Mike Brearley caught behind and it seemed, in those magic moments, that this was the beginning of a long and illustrious career.

He took nine wickets in that three-match series, which put him .second to Hadlee; but his test, tally since then has advanced only by one. It has been a sad story for Bracewell and for New Zealand cricket. Bracewell broke down with a back injury in the first test against Pakistan in 1978-79. He tried to get back into the game in 1979-80 but had to cry, off after one appearance. So off he went to Australia, and there came to the attention of none less

than Dennis Lillee, who evidently showed considerable sympathy for the young New Zealander. Lillee himself had made a spectacular recovery from a back injury which had seemed certain to end his career, and he sent Bracewell to the same source of treatment. So last summer was a happier one for Bracewell, who performed extremely well in Perth club cricket and would almost certainly have been in the state side had it not been for a prohibition on the number of overseas players in Sheffield Shield teams. Bracewell was called into the New Zealand team for the first test, at Brisbane, and then vanished over the horizon again. This summer, Bracewell is in Dunedin, and now there are really high hopes that he will be back at his best. He will be with the Albion club, which should, at least at the start of the season, be a very powerful side. It will be led by Brendon’s brother John, the test off-spinner, and will have, for at least a few

weeks, another test bowler. Martin Snedden. Brendon Bracewell has a long road ahead, if be is to become a test star. But he is a young man of fierce determination. and. at the start of

his career, there was no mistaking his ability. He will be 22 just before the season begins; cricketers throughout the country will be hoping this competitive, talented, likeable young man will achieve his expressed ambition to “knock over some wickets for New Zealand."