Michael Bracewell suffered a calf injury.
New Zealand head coach Rob Walter has given Michael Bracewell injury update ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Among many injured players, Bracewell sustained a calf injury during the ODI series against India, which forced him to miss the subsequent T20I rubber against the same side.
Walter revealed that the all-rounder has been recovering well and will have a chance to prove his fitness in the warm-up fixture against USA. The match is scheduled on February 5 (Thursday), three days before their tournament opener against Afghanistan.
“I mean, his progression has been really good, and he’s made good progress. Certainly, everything seems to be on track for the warm-up game against USA,” Rob Walter said on Michael Bracewell injury update.
New Zealand are already without Adam Milne, who suffered a hamstring injury in SA20 2026, and James Neesham also fell ill and missed the India T20Is, though he is expected to be fine for the T20 World Cup 2026. Lockie Ferguson has also just returned and will need careful management as a bowler, so issues galore for the Kiwis ahead of the tournament.
Michael Bracewell is among the two specialist spin-bowling all-rounders, along with the captain Mitchell Santner, in the New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. Hence, he will be pivotal in conditions suiting his craft, and the Kiwis can’t afford to lose him.
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More importantly, New Zealand will play three of their four group-stage matches in Chennai, where spin will play a role, especially since all those are day games. Bracewell has previously played in India and done well, so he understands the conditions better than most other players in the side.
Among other spinners in the squad are Ish Sodhi, while Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra are useful part-timers. Bracewell remains the only specialist off-spinner.
As a batter, he can be flexible with his batting position and brings the LHB variety to a batting lineup that will likely have four RHBs in the top five. Michael Bracewell might be promoted to No.4 or 5 if the situation arises, and he must remain fit to contribute heavily, as New Zealand look to overcome the previous edition’s debacle.
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