Bracewell in talks with Gloucestershire

John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, has confirmed that he has held talks with Gloucestershire about possibly returning for next season.

Bracewell enjoyed a successful period as coach of Gloucestershire at the turn of the century, inspiring them to a clutch of one-day trophies before New Zealand lured him back in 2003. At the start of their tour of England this summer, Bracewell hinted that a return to Gloucestershire was not out of the question, and it now seems certain that a return to Bristol is on the cards

"Myself and Tom [Richardson], Gloucestershire's chief executive] are in discussions at the moment," Bracewell told PA Sport. "There are several options available in world cricket at the moment within the ICL and IPL and you don't know where Twenty20 is going to be within the next nine months.

"But Gloucestershire is a positive option because I enjoyed the environment of it so much. It is one option and it is a good one. I didn't say it is the only option but it is one of several and, at this stage, it's a leader.

"I'm in contact with Tom a lot and he is fully aware of where I'm at and we are fully communicating."

With New Zealand losing two series in succession against England, the call for Bracewell's head has become louder with every loss that they suffer. Gloucestershire, he says, gives coaches the chance to "develop guys over a period of time and see them grow."

"The difference between that and international cricket is that you never get the same sort of chance," he said. "You get them off the field, you patch them up and you've got to get them back into battle. All the coaching you are doing is about 'what can I do today to get you over today?'

"The thing I really loved about cricket over here is that you actually had quality time to be able to coach and develop guys through coaching itself as opposed to just patching things up and getting guys back on the field. That is international as opposed to domestic cricket.

"There is no possibility of staying on with New Zealand. You just get worn out by the other stuff other than coaching.

"The people themselves and the players are great. But you just can't get a piece of them all the time so it makes it hard."