Australian cricketer Nathan Bracken is unrecognisable as he stands for Liberals in NSW election

Australian limited-overs cricket star Nathan Bracken took 186 wickets for Australia from 121 caps, but surprisingly, politics is where the cult hero now plies his trade.

The left-arm fast was one of the first bowlers to truly master the art of slower cutting balls, and was the second fastest bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets, behind only two legendary players – Shane Warne and Dennis Lillee.

During his days as an international player from 2001 to 2009, Bracken was known for his loose blonde locks that were often held back with a headband.

But he doesn’t look like that anymore.

The 45-year-old, who grew up in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, now resides on the state’s central coast and is running as a Liberal candidate for The Entry electorate in the upcoming state election.

The imposing speedy, pictured with his wife Haley, is unrecognizable from his days when he was one of the most popular players for the Australia side.

Bracken sends one down during the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, which Australia won, sporting his iconic blonde locks.

Gone are the iconic locks. The towering 195cm former cricketer now sports a short, cropped style with a center parting, which is often accompanied by a scruffy pepper-colored beard.

Since having to retire in 2011 due to a debilitating knee injury, for which he sued Cricket Australia for $1 million, Bracken has held a variety of jobs.

After earning a BA in Communications, Bracken dove into commentary, undertook a significant amount of cricket coaching, held a variety of business manager roles and is currently an account manager at Boral Concrete, according to his LinkedIn page.

And now embattled Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet has turned to the former cricketer to try to overcome a 5.2 percent swing against Labor incumbent David Mehan, who has held the job since 2015.

Bracken, who has been a member of the Liberal Party for two years, previously ran as an independent (who preferred the Liberals) for the federal seat in 2013, though he expects to do much better this time after polling just 8.2 percent. hundred. percent of the primary vote.

Nathan Bracken lives with his wife Haley and their children Chase and Tag on the central coast of New South Wales after growing up in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

Bracken celebrates a wicket in one of his five Tests for Australia. The left-hander was considered a limited overs specialist given the stacked talent of rapids during his generation.

The quick lanky said he wanted to give the growing population of the Central Coast “a voice” in state parliament ahead of an election, which Labor is heavily favored to win, on March 25.

“I’ve been on the Central Coast now for almost 20 years…I made the decision a while ago not to be someone who sits and complains about it…(I want to focus on) what can be, the infrastructure, the opportunities that all the residents want him to have,’ he told the daily telegraph.

“From what Dominic (Perrottet) has been through and where it’s taking us… going forward, (it’s) a great opportunity to get out of covid and get ahead for the future.”

Although he seems to have a short memory when it comes to political loyalties.

When running as an independent in the 2013 federal election, Bracken insisted that he had no interest in joining a major party and that he “floated” on the political spectrum.

“Once you align with a party, you can’t judge all the issues,” he said. news corporation in 2012.

‘When I played cricket, I knew where I was going, what my plan was, and if things changed, I could follow it. With a party sometimes you can’t change direction.

Nathan Bracken, sporting his iconic blonde locks, sends one down in Australia’s successful 2007 ODI World Cup campaign

But ten years later, he insists that he has always sided with the liberals.

“My views have always been on the liberal side of things, even when I ran as an independent, I preferred the liberals,” Bracken said.

Unfortunately, the popular man in the community, who has been an ambassador for a host of charities, is not expected to win.

Forecasting site AE Forecasts gives the Australian cricketer no hope of upsetting the incumbent, with Bracken only a 1.4 per cent chance of ousting Mehan as the seat leans further towards Chris Minns’ Labor.

That being said, he is expected to win a bit more of the primary vote given his switch to a major party.

The wily quickie will need to call on all those old-time bowling skills and catch a big swing his way.