Meet the newest Black Cap
Not so long ago Ajaz Patel was charging in with the new ball for Suburbs New Lynn in Auckland premier club cricket.
He’d followed the spikemarks of Martin Guptill and Jeet Raval through the Avondale College first XI to the same club but, by his 21st birthday, Patel was yet to bowl spin in a competitive match.
‘‘Initially, I was a left-arm seamer and played premiers and Auckland Under-19s as a fast bowler, then I decided that being 5 foot 6 wasn’t quite going to cut it at the next level,’’ Patel said. ‘‘I had to make a change if I wanted to play higher up.’’
With expert tutelage from former test offspinner Dipak Patel, still his valued bowling mentor, the transformation was rapid.
‘‘I recall a game at Suburbs where I opened the bowling, then ended up coming back and bowling spin. My spin ended up taking more wickets. It was something different and I was apprehensive about whether I’d enjoy bowling spin but I loved it and it took off from there.’’
Now, nearly six years after he made his first-class debut for Central Stags, cricket’s late bloomer is set to become a Black Caps test spinner against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in November, when he’ll be 30. With legspinners Todd Astle and Ish Sodhi likely to fight out one spot, Patel looks a good bet to earn his first black cap with Mitchell Santner sidelined after knee surgery.
The Plunket Shield’s top wickettaker for the past three seasons, capped by a stunning 48 wickets at 21.52 in the Stags’ charge to the title in April, hadn’t given up hope of achieving his dream. But he was still gobsmacked at the call from selector Gavin Larsen on Saturday to say he’d made the 15-man test squad.
So too were his extended family who joined Patel and wife Nilofer, his parents Yunus and Shahnaz, and younger sisters Sanaa and Tanzeel at the family home for dinner that night. Patel reckons at least 30 people were in the room when he rose to speak.
‘‘After dinner I announced it to the family and it was amazing, the whole house went ballistic, everyone started cheering and applauding. It was a mad house for a minute and I was worried the neighbours might complain.’’
Patel, whose family emigrated from Mumbai in 1996, is poised to become New Zealand’s fifth Indian-born test cricketer after Ted Badcock, Tom Puna, Sodhi and Raval.
Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, who scored a century on debut against West Indies in December, also made the test squad as BJ Watling’s backup.
Larsen said Watling was a contender for the World Cup squad and would be tried in a similar role to incumbent Tom Latham, as a middle order batsman and gloveman, while power hitter Colin Munro retains his ODI spot as Martin Guptill’s opening partner after a lean trot at home.
Strike bowler Trent Boult’s name was missing from the Twenty20 squad, due to paternity leave.