Key points
- ICC committee approves McConchie’s World Cup inclusion
- Bracewell injured during Afghanistan match duties
- McConchie brings strong Super Smash experience
CHENNAI: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have named off-spinning all-rounder Cole McConchie as the replacement for injured Michael Bracewell ahead of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against Canada at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
McConchie, who was travelling with the squad in India as a reserve player, has been officially approved by the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Event Technical Committee (ETC) to join the New Zealand squad.
Bracewell has been ruled out of the tournament after suffering an injury while performing support duties during New Zealand’s game against Afghanistan on February 8 in Chennai.
The ETC includes Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket), Gaurav Saxena (IBC Representative), Hemang Amin (Host Representative) and former South Africa captain Shaun Pollock as the independent representative.
Domestic experience
McConchie, the captain of Canterbury Kings in New Zealand’s Super Smash, brings significant domestic experience. He has played 133 T20 matches, including 12 internationals, over a 14-year professional career and has guided Canterbury to six straight Super Smash Grand Finals.
The 34-year-old made his international debut in 2021 during a five-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Mirpur, where he picked up seven wickets and finished as New Zealand’s second-highest wicket-taker in the series.
Reacting to his selection, McConchie described the call-up as a special moment.
“It’s pretty surreal to be here. It doesn’t get much better than a World Cup in India and Sri Lanka… I’m looking forward to contributing in any way I can,” he said.
New Zealand are close to securing qualification for the Super Eight stage. They currently sit second in their group with two wins from three matches and need one more victory to advance.
