New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel who played a crucial role in New Zealand’s unexpected four-run win against Pakistan with an excellent five-wicket haul on his debut in the first test at Abu Dhabi, has Indian origins.
The 29-year-old finger spinner was named as the man of the match following his excellent bowling spell in the second innings, recording figures of 5/59.
Closest Test winning margins by runs:
Windies v Australia, Adelaide, 1993 – 1 run
England v Australia, Edgbaston, 2005 – 2 runs
Australia v England, Manchester, 1902 – 3 runs
England v Australia, Melbourne, 1982 – 3 runs
New Zealand v Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, 2018 – 4 runs pic.twitter.com/ZmiwWIuXHo— ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2018
Patel was born in Mumbai, India and shifted to New Zealand as a child, resulting in his ability to interact in Hindi. The left-arm spinner is one of the three cricketers who enjoy Indian origins and were a part of the victorious New Zealand side.
Jeet Raval, the Kiwi opener hails from Gujarat while fellow spinner Ish Sodhi draws his origins to Ludhiana, Punjab.
Patel was selected as a replacement for Mitchell Santner in New Zealand’s 15-man squad for the test series against Pakistan, on the back of impressive performances in Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic tournament.
The second test between the nations will take place in Dubai between Nov 24-28 with the third test all set to take place in Abu Dhabi again from Dec 3-7.
Source: Zee News