Switching to spin made it all possible for Patel
Mumbai, Dec. 4: If shifting from India to New Zealand saw him fall in love with cricket, switching to spin from fast bowling paved the way for Ajaz Patel’s entry into the game’s topflight. The shift and switch both worked wonders as he became only the third bowler in Test cricket’s 144-year-long history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.
A fast bowler growing up, the late bloomer’s talents became apparent only after he started bowling spin.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches, he realised he wasn’t quite going to make it as a pacer, which explained the switch to spin in his 20s, years after his parents emigrated to New Zealand.
When the Patels left their house in the city’s Jogeshwari area for New Zealand in 1996, he was only eight years old. In the new environs, he fell in love with the game and worked towards earning a name for himself.
The rise to prominence is nothing short of spectacular for the man, who has had no qualms admitting that his “hands were shaking” with nervousness when he was first handed the ball in Test cricket.
The cricket fraternity
was quick to laud the incredible achievement of the 33-year-old leftarm spinner, and so were his family members who still live in Jogeshwari.
Ajaz’s family owns a house in Jogeshwari. His mother used to teach at a school near Oshiwara, while his father was in the refrigeration business. Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Ajaz’s family would often spend their holidays in India.
Thanks to his former Kiwi teammate and Mumbai Indians pacer Mitchell McClenaghan, he would would often come to watch the team’s Indian Premier League matches at the Wankhede Stadium and has also bowled to them on a few occasions.
Long before he got
to
savour his biggest moment in the game, it was former New Zealand spinner Dipak Patel, who encouraged him to leave pace and take up spin bowling. Dipak was then the coach of the New Zealand U-19 team.
Ajaz began his career with Auckland, but it was only after he made a move to Central Districts that the player started to showcase his skills.
Ajaz played for Auckland A without much success, and then, moved to Central Districts, where he was fast tracked into first class cricket and made his debut in 2012.
He made his T20 debut also in the same year but had to wait for three more years to play 50over cricket.