Tom Bruce

A swashbuckling right-handed batsman who seems suited for the T20 format, Tom Bruce grabbed headlines in the 2015-16 Super Smash season where he took bowlers apart at will. Buoyed by those performances, he gradually became a core of the Central Districts team across all formats. Aggressive in

nature, his best shots are square of the wicket on both sides although he is equally adept at muscling the ball in the V. Another fetish that Bruce has is to sweep against pace bowlers and he can pull that off with effortless ease. His performances, particularly in the shortest format saw him get picked for New Zealand in T20Is but he's had an underwhelming time so far. Apart from being a T20 natural, Bruce has also performed commendably in First-class cricket for Central Districts, being one of their mainstays in the middle order. He bats with the same positive intent and that makes him a gamechanger in the longer format. Even in the 50-over format, he is a utility hitter but inconsistency is a big issue as he at times doesn't seem to have the temperament to build long innings, ironical considering his FC exploits. Bruce can also bowl off-breaks which is part-timer stuff at best. All in all, an attacking option to have in white-ball cricket and he is definitely in the radar of the New Zealand selectors.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan