Bracewell, who recently returned to the New Zealand test team after a seven-year hiatus, will join Essex after next week’s opening game against Middlesex. He will stay at the club until the end of July and could play in as many as 10 championship matches.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to sign Doug for a long stretch of our County Championship season,” said Essex head coach Anthony McGrath. “He is a player with a lot of international experience and he will strengthen our squad by adding a strong squad.
“He recently played for New Zealand in their Test series against Sri Lanka and has been in great form for the Central Districts throughout their 2022-23 season so we are delighted to welcome him to the club.”
Bracewell, 32, has been capped by New Zealand in all three formats and previously played county cricket with Northamptonshire.
“I am very excited to join Essex for the 2023 red-ball campaign,” said Bracewell. “I gained experience playing county cricket a few years ago and can’t wait to get to Chelmsford and meet the lads. Essex has been a strong county for a long time and I’m looking forward to hopefully playing a big part of the team’s success this season.”