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Essex have quickly filled the gap left by Will Sutherland’s injury by signing New Zealand pace bowler Doug Bracewell on a 10-game red-ball contract.
The 32-year-old former Northants player will join Essex after next week’s first County Championship game – and is then available until the end of July.
He is the second member of the famous New Zealand Bracewell family to sign for an English county this summer.
His cousin Michael Bracewell will play for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast.
Doug Bracewell has taken 373 first-class wickets, including 74 in 28 Tests spread over 11-and-a-half years.
He is the son of former New Zealand paceman Brendon Bracewell and the nephew of John Bracewell, who made 44 Test appearances for the Kiwis before moving on to become a notoriously successful coach with Gloucestershire.
Essex only found out earlier this week that Australian all-rounder Sutherland would not be able to play this summer because of a back injury picked up in last week’s Sheffield Shield final.
“It’s great we’ve been able to secure Doug for a long stint of our Championship season,” said Essex head coach Anthony McGrath.
“He has recently featured for New Zealand in their Test series against Sri Lanka and was in excellent form for the Central Districts throughout their 2022/23 season.”
Essex’s other overseas players for 2023 are prolific South African spinner Simon Harmer, who is back for a seventh-straight year looking to add to his 367 first-class wickets in 75 matches for the county, and Australia’s Daniel Sams, their T20 signing.
