Michael Bracewell could be a doubt for New Zealand’s upcoming five-match T20I series against India starting Wednesday in Nagpur following what New Zealand Cricket (NZC) described as a “minor left calf strain” during the third and final ODI in Indore on Sunday.
Bracewell, who captained New Zealand to a historic 2-1 ODI series win over India, will be closely monitored in the coming days before deciding on his continued involvement in the tour.
Despite the concern, the all-rounder has traveled to Nagpur with the rest of the T20I squad, head coach Rob Walter confirmed.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Christian Clarke has been included in the T20 squad for the first three matches of the series.
The Northern Districts player, who made his international debut in the ODI series against India, impressed by taking seven wickets, including two three-wicket hauls, contributing valuable lower-order runs.
“We’ve got a fair bit of player movement at the moment with some guys coming back from injury this series, some players joining us immediately from franchise cricket and the rest coming from the India ODI series and Super Smash,” Walter said.
“We want to make sure we have enough fast bowling options for the first three games of this series and this is a great opportunity for Christian to stay with the team for a while on his first tour of India,” he added.
“He certainly showed his mettle in the ODI series, but his composure and ability to perform under pressure was particularly impressive.”
Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Zach Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson are in New Zealand’s fast-bowling line-up for the T20I series, while James Neesham provides an all-round option.
The Black Caps head into the T20I series on the back of a major achievement by winning their first ODI series in India.
“It’s incredibly special to win the one-day series and make some history,” Walter said. “There were many special performances combined with fantastic teamwork to achieve something that had never been done before.
“With a short turnaround to the T20 series, we know we need to recover well and focus quickly to be ready for the opener on Wednesday night.”
New Zealand squad for T20 series against India:
Mitchell Santner (catch), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zach Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindran, Tim Chislar Robinson and Kian Chrisquist are just three matches.