New Zealand suffer "horrible" dismissal vs England after "amateur hour" blunder

27 February 2023 , 08:39

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New Zealand's Michael Bracewell walks from the field (Image: Getty)

New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell was run out in embarrassing fashion after casually failing to ground his bat in the second Test against England in Wellington.

After Tom Blundell hoicked a delivery from Jack Leach through midwicket, he and Bracewell looked to come back for a third as the ball was pursued by a limping Ben Stokes. Stokes quickly gathered the ball and launched a throw to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who proceeded to whip the bails off.

Bracewell, who had cruised back for the third run actually crossed the crease but failed to ground both his right foot and his bat. As a result, he was given out for just eight and Stokes and Foakes were left laughing and grinning at the dismissal.

"Talk about a wicket being manufactured out of nowhere," Alison Mitchell said on commentary. "It should never be the case if you're New Zealand, but it is."

Former New Zealand star Craig McMillan, meanwhile, fumed at Bracewell for his "amateur hour" blunder. "It's a great throw from Ben Stokes because there's some energy behind the throw," McMillan said.

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Michael Bracewell was run out after failing to ground his bat (Twitter/@btsportcricket)

"Look how casual Foakes is, pretending that he's not interested. It's a horrible piece of cricket from Michael Bracewell, it really is amateur hour. "

And fans were left baffled by Bracewell's failure to make sure he had made his ground, with one writing: "Schoolboy error from Bracewell! Foakes is the best Wicketkeeper in the world!"

England captain Ben Stokes could not help but laugh at the dismissal (Twitter/@btsportcricket)

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes could also be seen laughing (Twitter/@btsportcricket)

Another fumed: "F***ing awful cricket from a professional!!" While a third wrote: "And kids this why you should ground your bat across the crease. Atrocious running by Bracewell. This is the kind of mistake 10 year olds make in school."

One New Zealand fan branded Bracewell's error "criminal", tweeting: Embarrassing. Criminal. Awful moment for Bracewell and that could be the test."

Matthew Cooper