It has taken a long time for Nathan Bracken to feel accepted at international level, but it has been worth all the hard work, Daniel Lane writes.

Silky smooth: Left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken, with his wife Haley, is being lauded for his part in Australia's one-day success.

WOULD-BE comedians in the outer grounds all around Australia this summer have helped Nathan Bracken realise he's finally made the grade. Instead of their usual sledge, they've honed in on his wild mane of blond hair.

"When you field on the boundary - especially in a day-night game - there are always blokes in the crowd who try to be funny," Bracken says.

Bracken took an astonishing 7-4 against South Australia at the SCG during the 2004-05 Pura Cup season and has long enjoyed a miserly economy rate in the limited-overs arena, but the tall NSW left-armer has had to contend with harsh critics.

The ICC ranks Bracken as the one-day game's third best bowler behind Shaun Pollock and Glenn McGrath, but the days of poring over data and wondering where he was ranked in Australian cricket's pecking order are long gone.

"A few years ago I'd agonise over whether I was the second, third or fourth bowler," he says. "All the bowlers knew Glenn McGrath was automatically ranked No.1.

Bracken says he won't be touching his hair, despite the taunts from the yobbos. But he acknowledges it is up to him to ensure they cheer him for the right reasons.

"Merv Hughes was noticed because he had a brilliant moustache," Bracken says. "But he wouldn't be remembered if he wasn't a great bowler.

"It's up to me to be acknowledged for my bowling - not just long hair."