New Zealand bowling coach Dimitri Mascarenhas praises Doug Bracewell

Dimitri Mascarenhas (R) admits Doug Bracewell was unlucky in the First Test

New Zealand’s bowling coach Dimitri Mascarenhas believes Doug Bracewell’s stats don’t do justice to his abilities. The hero of New Zealand’s last Test victory against Australia, back in 2011 in Hobart, Bracewell has been termed as ‘probably the best bowler’ in New Zealand’s ranks after the first Test against Sri Lanka.

Although he sealed the deal for his team, when he dismissed Suranga Lakmal to hand New Zealand the victory on the fifth day in Dunedin, he returned with ordinary match figures of 1 for 88. But, he was the side’s most economical seamer in both innings conceding runs at only 2.19 per over.

He was also quite unlucky with two chances being dropped off his bowling during the Test.

"Doug's probably been the best bowler, but isn't getting all the wickets," Mascarenhas said. "That's how teamwork goes in a bowling unit. Sometimes it might be your day. As long as you keep plugging away, the next day will be his.”

The blackcaps captain Brendon McCullum also praised Bracewell as he said that he was due to get wickets, while also drawing comparisons with Tom Latham, a promising batsman, who’s got decent starts, but hasn’t gone on quite often to convert them into big scores.

The seamer’s moment might come in Hamilton, where a green top greeted the players two days before then match.

"For Doug, it's all about hitting his areas as hard as he can for as long as he can," the bowling coach said. “One of his big work-ons has been to swing the ball a bit more consistently, and he's working really hard at that. If he keeps putting the ball where he is at the moment, he's going to get a lot of wickets.”

Meanwhile, the leader of their pace-attack, Trent Boult, has been getting wickets consistently despite being less than 100 percent fit, and below his best. His speeds dipped to as low as the mid 120s during the first Test, which was attributed to a disc irritation and a stress related back injury in the previous tours of Australia and England.

The green pitch, Mascarenhas said, might also mean that the Kiwis might go in with four fast bowlers, thereby enabling Neil Wagner to play again, having not featured in the New Zealand XI all year till the Dunedin Test.

"He's always in and around, Wags," Mascarenhas said. "You know what you're going to get - he's going to run in and give 110%. He started off a bit nervy in the first Test, firing the ball around the shop, but he got it together and showed what he's done for New Zealand's Test cricket in the last couple of years.”

The coach praised the Sri Lankan batsmen for displaying ‘good signs’ during the first Test, and he believed that they might have learnt their lessons to counter the short ball attack which New Zealand tried successfully in short spells.

He acknowledged that the opposition had some talented players, who were undergoing a transition period folowing the retirement of some of the country’s greats, and said that he was expecting a tough Test at Hamilton.