New Zealand all-rounder Doug Bracewell has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The 35-year-old ends a career that included 28 Tests, 21 ODIs, and 20 T20Is from 2011 to 2023.
Bracewell retires with a total of 74 Test wickets. In just his third Test appearance, he famously helped New Zealand defeat Australia in Hobart with a man-of-the-match performance, taking 6-40 in a nail-biting final innings that secured victory by seven runs. This match remains the last instance of New Zealand overcoming their trans-Tasman rivals on Australian soil at the Test level.
In white-ball cricket, Bracewell claimed 46 wickets for New Zealand. His most recent international appearance was at Test level against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 2023, but a recent rib injury has forced him to conclude his career with the domestic side Central Districts.
“It’s been a proud part of my life, and something I aspired to as a young cricketer. I will always be grateful for the opportunities I have had through cricket, and the chance to play for my country, as well as for Central Districts, throughout my domestic career,” Bracewell stated.
“I would like to take this time to acknowledge all the teammates I have played alongside and the coaches and management who have been on this journey with me, for everything they have done for me. It’s a privilege to play first-class and international cricket, and I’m grateful to have played and enjoyed the game for as long as I have,” he added in a statement via Central Districts.
Bracewell retires as one of the few modern all-rounders in New Zealand cricket to have achieved the elite first-class double of 4,000 runs and 400 career wickets, with 3,029 of those runs and 258 of the wickets coming for Central — the best all-round record in the team’s history.
Besides domestic cricket for Central Districts, Bracewell had stints in England’s County Cricket for Essex and Northamptonshire. He also played for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in IPL 2012, the Joburg Super Kings at SA20 2024, and Central Stags in the Global Super League earlier this year.