Michael Bracewell Hits Match Winning Ton, New Zealand Marginally Escapes Defeat

New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell smashed a 74-ball century to deny Ireland victory in the first three ODIs between the two teams. The left-handed batsman scored 24 runs in the last over to help New Zealand win by just one wicket, trailing the score of 300-9.

Truth be told, New Zealand’s spectators had lost hope of victory. Half the team had returned to the pavilion before the completion of 25 overs and it was only Bracellwell who stood there guiding his team towards victory. Michael Bracewell played a sensational innings to help his team win.

Michael Bracewell, who made his Test debut at the age of 31 against England last month, smashed an unbeaten 127 off 82 balls, hitting 10 fours and seven sixes to help New Zealand win by one wicket with a ball to spare . The explosive batting of the final over of this innings achieved the most number of successfully chased target runs in the 50th over in men’s ODI history, surpassing England’s 18 against Australia in 1987.

The spectators were even more stunned when Bracewell scored 4, 4, 6, 4 and 6 off the first five balls of the final over of the game bowled by Craig Young and New Zealand held on to Ireland’s 300-9 despite being 120-5. successfully followed.

While they found little support from Phillips (38) and Ish Sodhi (25), Ireland’s total was out of reach when Sodhi was runout and Matt Henry was dismissed, leaving them 217-8, With seven overs left.

But Bracewell had other ideas, using a combination of power hitting and smart deflective strokes behind the square to ensure his team remained in the match. It was his self-confidence that made him believe that he could finish the match single-handedly in the last few overs.

Apart from opener Martin Guptill’s 51, the Black Caps didn’t have much advantage with the bat from their experienced players, with Henry Nicholls scoring 23. This was highlighted by captain Tom Latham, who won the toss and invited Ireland to bat first.

Another day Harry Tector’s scintillating 113 off 117 balls would have been a match-winning innings for Ireland but Michael Bracewell was determined to keep New Zealand winning.