John Bracewell has been reappointed as coach of the New Zealand cricket team until April 2009, vowing to improve the country's mediocre performance in Tests. The former New Zealand off-spinner has been coach of the national team since 2003, during which time the team has risen to third place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) one-day rankings.
New Zealand were beaten in the semi-finals of the World Cup this year and have a record of 44 wins, 32 losses and six no results under Bracewell. The team has been less successful in Test cricket, winning nine of 27 matches, losing 12, and drawing six for seventh place in the ICC rankings. "We need to stabilise our game plan obviously in the one-day game, but we need to become a harder unit in test cricket. We need to become more consistent," Bracewell told journalists Tuesday.