Presenting Ajaz Patel's feats and milestones in Test cricket
Mumbai-born cricketer Ajaz Patel, who now plays for New Zealand, has come a long way in his career. Patel made his international debut in 2018 and has been impressive in Test cricket. Patel's bond with Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium grew stronger as he claimed twin fifers in NZ's historic win in the third Test against hosts India. Here we decode his prominent feats in Test cricket.
One of the three bowlers with this feat
In December 2021, Patel made headlines by becoming only the third bowler in Test history to take 10 wickets in a single innings. As per ESPNcricinfo, the left-arm spinner, who returned with figures of 10/119 at Wankhede, joined India's Anil Kumble and England's Jim Laker on this elite list. Despite his remarkable performance, New Zealand lost the match by a substantial margin of 372 runs.
Best match figures against India
Patel ended the aformentioned 2021 Wankhede Test with an impressive 14 wickets for 225 runs, registering the best figures by a visiting bowler in India. The Kiwi spinner broke the record of former England all-rounder Ian Botham, who claimed 13/106 in the 1980 Test at the Wankhede Stadium. Notably, Patel is the only bowler to have taken more than 13 wickets in a Test match against India.
Second-best figures by an NZ spinner on debut
Patel made his Test debut in the 2018 Abu Dhabi Test against Pakistan. His maiden outing was special as he won the Player-of-the-Match award after taking seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the fourth innings. His performance helped NZ clinch a thrilling four-run victory. Patel's 5/59 are the second-best innings figures for a NZ spinner on Test debut. He is only behind former leg-spinner Alexander Moir (6/155 vs England, 1951)
Most wickets by a visiting bowler at an Indian venue
Patel was the pick of the Kiwi bowlers in NZ's recent historic win against India, claiming 5/103 and 6/57 in Mumbai. During the course, he surpassed Botham to become the most successful visiting bowler in a single Test venue in India. Patel has now raced to 25 wickets across two games at the Wankhede Stadium at 15.40. Botham took 22 wickets at this venue at 10.86.
Three fifers at Wankhede
Patel is the only visiting bowler with more than two Test fifers at an Indian stadium, 3 at Wankhede. He also happens to be the only visiting bowler with multiple 10-wicket match hauls at a venue in India (2 at Wankhede). Meanwhile, no other NZ bowler own multiple match 10-fers at a single venue.
