Cricket: Bracewell works hard to remedy footwork

Doug Bracewell Doug Bracewell says the side is 'hurting' after the first test loss. Photo / Getty Images

Doug Bracewell is preparing for two days' solid work on his footwork ahead of the second test against Australia.

And yesterday he was not tap dancing around the no ball which has come to be seen as the single decisive moment in New Zealand's nine-wicket tonking from Australia in Brisbane.

That might sound harsh.

After all, twice the New Zealand batsmen collectively fell over, handing Australia significant advantages. Plus three catches were dropped in Australia's first innings 427, two off captain Michael Clarke, en route to his 139.

But it was Bracewell's overstepping when he bowled Clarke for 23 which has come to be seen as the pivotal event in the test. It was his fifth no ball in the innings.

Bracewell got a batsman lbw in his only previous test in Zimbabwe last month with a no ball. Ergo, he has a problem.

But Bracewell was up front about the issue yesterday.

"I'm certainly working on it," he said as New Zealand made their way from Brisbane to Hobart where the second test starts on Friday.

"Damo [bowling coach Damien Wright] and I have been trying a few things with the run up. Obviously it's playing on my mind a bit. You can't really miss opportunities like that and we're putting in some hard work to try and nail it."

Bracewell was having difficulties before the fateful delivery. Other players have talked of plenty of conversations with Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf in the period leading up to that ball. It was playing on his mind.

"Doug was talking to the umpire and he was pretty close [to a no ball] with most deliveries so we need to address that come Tasmania," captain Ross Taylor said.

Bracewell has played 17 first-class games, taking 42 reasonably expensive wickets, before being picked to a large degree on coach John Wright's belief that he had something about him for the trip to Zimbabwe.

"It's only come along in the last couple of seasons," Bracewell said of the no ball problem.

He bowled a total of 10 in his five Plunket Shield games last season, five in an innings in each of the two games against Auckland. That suggests he can be fine, but when he has a problem it lingers in an innings.

"I've bowled the odd one here and there, but bowling five in a test match is obviously too much. It's tough at the moment, it's a new problem, so I'm just trying to sort it out."

Senior seamer Chris Martin spoke of the need for Bracewell to "take a pause and have a look at it, and know you're probably cutting it quite fine".

Bracewell admitted "the boys were really hurting to get beaten like that".

"I was hurting and taking a little bit of responsibility. We could have had them 100 for five."

That said, Bracewell bounced back strongly with an encouraging effort on the third day, during which three catches were dropped off him.

He said the team retained strong belief in their ability to make significant improvements in Hobart.

"We had a wee discussion about our responsibility, stuff like that. There was some honest stuff. It was good to get a few things off the boys' chests. It was definitely helpful."

Bellerive Oval will not offer the same bounce and pace as the Gabba did for the first test.

Of the nine tests played on the Apple Isle, Australia have won seven and drawn two. Both were against New Zealand in 1997 and 2001, although their first visit ended in an innings and 222-run flogging.