The curious case of Ajaz Patel is about to commence another chapter as the unassuming left arm spinner, whose greatest moment sits firmly within cricket folklore, returns to the scene of his mind-boggling heist. When New Zealand was last in India three years ago, Patel became only the third bowler in Test history – after fellow spinners Jim Laker of England and India’s Anil Kumble – to take all ten wickets in an innings. Despite his heroics, Patel has been largely absent from the Black Caps line up since, but he is once again set to play a key role when the three Test match series against the World Test Championship leaders begins on Wednesday in Bengaluru. Staggeringly, the 35-year-old who was born in Mumbai – where he snared his historic ten-for and he will return to the Wankhede Stadium for the third Test of this series – has only played seven of New Zealand’s 21 Tests since his historic feat. He was even dumped from New Zealand’s central contract list for the 2023/24 season before being reinstated last month. But being in-and-out has been the story of Patel’s career so far. Since making his debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi six years ago, Patel has only featured in 18 of the 46 Tests New Zealand have played in that time frame. He has only represented his country on home soil on three occasions – the last of which was in February 2020 - while two appearances in England are the only other Tests he has played outside of Asia. Patel’s overall record is impressive – he boasts 70 Test wickets at an average of 30.42 - but remarkably he has gone wicketless in five innings in New Zealand. Adding further to the abnormalities of his record is that Patel has been his most economical at home – conceding 2.16 runs per over – while his best average is in England – four wickets at 20.25. Opportunities to snare a maiden wicket on home soil have not eventuated in recent years however, with the inaugural world Test champions predominantly opting for an all-out pace attack on their grassy pitches. Earlier this year against Australia, the right-arm off-spin of batters Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra was deemed sufficient to support a four-pronged pace battery of Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Ben Sears and Scott Kuggeleijn. While he has not been threatening on home soil, Patel’s impressive economy rate shows he can play the holding role regularly required of spinners in nations like New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa. But often fellow left-arm orthodox spinner Mitchell Santner and right-arm off spinner Michael Bracewell have been preferred for their ability to bat as high as number six. Now is Patel’s time to shine however, as the New Zealanders are midway through a so far disappointing six-Test stint in Asia. Their one-off Test against Afghanistan became just the eighth in history to be abandoned without a ball bowled, while they suffered two comprehensive defeats in Sri Lanka – the second of which was by an innings and 154 runs. Speaking to the media last month before the tour began, Patel shared that he uses his snubs as fuel to drive his performances on the sub-continent. “We’re in a professional environment and it’s really important to go out there and continue to work on our game,” Patel said. “After the 10 wickets, yeah, obviously you’re a little bit disappointed because you don’t get as many opportunities. But at the same time, as a player it’s still about growing your game. Since my 10 wickets, I’ve somewhat remodelled my run up and looked to grow myself and try to get better. It’s always about improving and making sure you’re ready when that next opportunity comes. It’s always a privilege to play for New Zealand, and to play for your country is never easy. To get those opportunities is always quite special.” When speaking last month after capturing a six-wicket haul in the first Test of the series against Sri Lanka, Patel also admitted to “an element of frustration” with being pigeon-holed at the selection table. But nevertheless, he has cracked on, working with Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath – who took 433 Test wickets, the most of a left arm spinner – to add more weapons to his arsenal. Critics often point to turning pitches on the subcontinent making life easier for spinners, but Patel insists it is not as simple as letting the surface do all the work. “The hunger grows more every time you don’t get an opportunity that you want,” Patel said. “Every time you do get an opportunity, you’re pretty hungry. As a spinner you have the luxury of the ball doing a little more in these conditions (in Asia). It can be challenging as well, because when you come to these conditions you’re up against good players of spin as well. It’s a double-edged sword. It’s about presenting the ball in good areas for long periods and using what is available to us on the day – sometimes it may be the breeze, it may be the surface, it may be the pace of the wicket. It is responsibility I thrive on, and something I really enjoy.” As he did in Sri Lanka, Patel is tipped to shoulder most of the Black Caps’ bowling load in the first Test with New Zealand tipped to stick to the same structure of two seamers – who were Tim Southee and Will O’Rourke in their most recent Test - and spin bowling all-rounders Ravindra, Santner and Phillips to round out the attack. ## Ajaz Patel’s Journey to the Subcontinent: A Tale of Two Ten-Wicket Hauls New Zealand’s cricket team, or the Black Caps / Kiwis as they are called, have arrived in India for a three match Test series which is to begin from Oct 16 in Bengaluru. It is but natural that memories go back to an eventful match which was held when the NZ team visited India in 2021. That was the match when Ajaz Yunus Patel snapped up all ten wickets in India’s first innings during the second match of the series. He became only the third bowler in cricket history to take all ten wickets in an innings. The first was England’s Jim Laker and the second to do so was Anil Kumble. But Ajaz Patel was done yet. In the second innings, Patel took a further four wickets thereby finishing the match with 14 wickets at a cost of 225 runs. It was the best bowling figures by an Kiwi bowler in a Test match against India. Ajaz Patel was born in India but left with his family members and settled in New Zealand when he was 8 years old. His bowling talent enabled him to be selected for New Zealand’s team to play against Pakistan in November 2018. On his debut he took five wickets in the second innings and helped New Zealand to win by four runs. Since then he has captured 5 wickets in an innings on five occasions in addition to the ten wickets once. He now has a total of 70 Test wickets at an average of 28.50. But surprisingly Ajaz has not been a regular member of New Zealand’s side. After making his Test debut in 2018, Ajaz has played in only 18 Test matches. It looks like NZ reserves Ajaz only for playing in the subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Therefore Ajaz Patel has become something of an Asia specialist and has played more than 70 percent of his Tests on the continent. ## Ajaz Patel’s Rise to the Top: A Journey of Hard Work and Determination But the inconsistency of the NZ selectors has not diminished Ajaz’s ardour for the game. In preparation for the series against India, he arrived early in Mumbai and put in several days of hard practice at a local cricket club in the metropolis. It is learnt that Nilesh Bhosle, a member of the Mumbai Cricket Association arranged a practice facility for Ajaz at the MIG club. The limited opportunities that the NZ selectors have provided him, seem to have made Ajaz hungrier for success. He knows that the Kiwis will always rely more on their fast bowling attack and he will have to prove himself within the slender openings that may come his way. In Indian conditions, he will have an advantage because the ball will do a little more than it does on the hard cold pitches of New Zealand. But on the other hand, Indian batsmen are far better at playing spinners than their Kiwi counterparts. So in a way it is a double edged sword that Ajaz will be holding in his hand. Obviously his strategy will be to bowl steadily in the right line and length and try to keep the Indian batsmen guessing with his variations. He is well versed with making use of the existing conditions. Sometimes he uses the breeze to float the ball in and out, sometimes he uses the pace of the wicket to extract bounce and sometimes he combines both the factors. Sri Lanka’s most successful spinner Ranganna Herath has helped Ajaz to figure out new methods such as different angles and different field settings to trouble the batters. He can almost read minds. He knows when the batsman is trying to hit him out of the action and when the batsman is merely stalling for time. With his experience and mastery over his craft, Ajaz will be a dangerous bowler on Indian pitches. ## The Turning Point: A 10-Wicket Haul That Defined His Career Indian-origin cricketer Ajaz Patel has been the premier spinner for New Zealand in Asian conditions in test cricket. Ajaz made his test debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in November 2019. The left-arm spinner produced a match-winning performance by picking seven wickets in the match in New Zealand’s four-run victory over Pakistan. Patel bagged the Player of the Match Award on his debut test match. So far, Patel has played 18 matches and scalped 70 wickets at a decent bowling average of 30.42. Out of these, 13 tests have come in Asia. Notably, he is one of the rare bowlers to take 10 wickets in an innings in test cricket. On that note, let’s take a look at the top five best bowling figures by Patel in test cricket till now. ## Ajaz Patel's Top Five Best Bowling Figures in Test Cricket During the first test match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2018 in Galle, Ajaz Patel recorded a five-wicket haul. Batting first, New Zealand made 249 runs as Ross Taylor played a gritty knock of 86 runs. In reply, Sri Lanka were all out for 267 runs after Patel took five wickets in 33 overs. New Zealand scored 285 in the second innings and set a challenging target of 268 runs for the hosts. While chasing, opener Dimuth Karunaratne played an outstanding knock of 122 as Sri Lanka won the match by six wickets. Patel registered a memorable five-for on his test debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in November 2018. Batting first, New Zealand were bundled out for 153 runs. In reply, Pakistan made 227 runs while Ajaz took two wickets. In the visitors’ second innings, they scored 249 runs and set a target of 176 for Pakistan. While defending this total, Ajaz Patel produced a match-winning spell and picked a five-wicket haul. His effort with the ball helped New Zealand win the thrilling clash by only four runs. Patel’s third-best bowling figures in test cricket came during the first test match against Sri Lanka in September 2024 in Galle. Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 305 runs after Kamindu Mendis played a magnificent knock of 114 runs. For New Zealand, William O’Rourke picked five wickets, and Ajaz Patel took two scalps. In reply, New Zealand scored 340 runs as Tom Latham and Kane Williamson made half centuries. Sri Lanka then made 309 runs and set a target of 275 runs for the Black Caps. Left-arm spinner Ajaz bagged a six-wicket haul in 30 overs. While chasing, though, New Zealand were bundled out for 211 and lost the match by 63 runs. Ajaz Patel’s second-best test bowling figures came in the second test match against Bangladesh in December 2023. Bangladesh made 172 runs in the first innings and in reply, New Zealand made 180 runs. In the second innings of Bangladesh, their batters surrendered against a spin bowling masterclass by Patel. The left-arm spinner bagged a six-wicket haul in 18 overs as Bangladesh were all out for 144 runs. While chasing 137, Glenn Phillips made 40 unbeaten runs, taking New Zealand to victory by four wickets. Ajaz Patel registered his best bowling figures during the Wankhede test match against India in December 2021. He became only the third bowler in test cricket history to take all 10 wickets in an innings. Batting first, Indian opener Mayank Agarwal made 150 as the hosts scored 325 runs. In a historic feat, Patel bagged India’s all 10 wickets in 47.5 overs. Patel joined the iconic list of Jim Laker and Anil Kumble, who had taken all ten wickets in a test innings. Patel also became the first bowler to do so in an away game. However, New Zealand were bundled out for just 62 runs in their first innings. In the second innings, India declared at 276/7 and set a huge target of 540 for the visitors. While chasing, New Zealand were all out for 167 runs and lost the match by 372 runs. Although, New Zealand suffered a crushing defeat, this match would be remembered for Ajaz Patel’s historic 10-wicket haul. (All stats updated till 15th October, 2024) ## Ajaz Patel: Can He Reclaim His Spot in the Black Caps? However, with all Indian players in great form (as was obvious in the series against Bangladesh), it is very likely that the forthcoming Test matches between India and New Zealand will throw up some very good cricket. Although India starts as the favourites, the visiting team led by Tom Latham could pose big challenges. Get the news updates on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. For all the latest Featured News updates, download our app Android and iOS.