McConchie cleared to replace injured Bracewell in NZ squad

Cole McConchie has been officially approved as Michael Bracewell's replacement in New Zealand's squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The Event Technical Committee (ETC) confirmed the change after Bracewell was forced to leave the tournament due to injury last week.

The all-rounder reinjured his left calf during warm-ups ahead of the team's World Cup opener against Afghanistan in Chennai. He had been recovering from a calf tear sustained during the third ODI against India last month, but scans revealed a recurrence expected to sideline him for around three weeks.

New Zealand had earlier named McConchie as a travelling reserve and flown him to join the squad. McConchie, with 145 T20 appearances, joins on the back of a strong season with Canterbury Kings, where he finished as the side's leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.71.

"It feels pretty surreal to be here," McConchie said. "It doesn't get much better than a World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. You're always striving to wear the fern, and to get the call up is incredibly special. I'm looking forward to contributing in any way I can."

New Zealand, who have won two of their three Group D games so far, next face Canada on Tuesday (February 17) at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.