WELLINGTON — Seamer Doug Bracewell will be added to New Zealand's squad for the third cricket Test against England if he can prove he is match fit, coach Mike Hesson said Tuesday. Bracewell missed the first two Tests, earning a reprimand from management after he cut his foot while cleaning up broken glass after a house party earlier this month. Hesson said the 22-year-old would be confirmed in the squad if he came through a one-day domestic fixture in Christchurch Wednesday unscathed. “Doug's availability creates a real battle for spots for this deciding Test against England,” he said. “It also helps to manage the workload for a group of bowlers who have carried a heavy load during the first two Tests.” Whether Bracewell breaks into the playing XI is another matter after captain Brendon McCullum Monday expressed a preference for sticking with the team that earned draws against England in Dunedin and Wellington. The rest of the squad is unchanged from the first two Tests. Squad: Brendon McCullum (captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Ian Butler, Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, Bruce Martin, Hamish Rutherford, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson. De Kock replaces Du Plessis South Africa has called up Quinton de Kock to its squad for the two remaining ODIs against Pakistan. The 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman replaces Faf du Plessis, who will rest a lower back problem that has also ruled him out of the first four weeks of the Indian Premier League, where he plays for the Chennai Super Kings. “Faf has been troubled by low back pain over the past while,” Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee said in a statement released by Cricket South Africa Tuesday. “He was recently diagnosed with bony inflammation in the lumbar spine and a six-week rest period has been advised.” De Kock played in three ODIs against New Zealand in January, where he kept wicket in place of AB de Villiers. Although the left-hander averaged only 25 with the bat with a highest score of 31, he is viewed as the long-term successor to De Villiers with the gloves. Surgery for Starc Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc will have surgery later this week on an ankle injury as he races the clock to be fit for the Ashes series against England, Cricket Australia said Tuesday. The left-armer will return from the team's tour of India early, missing the fourth Test, for the operation. Starc would have bone spurs on his right ankle removed. — Agencies t
