Ajaz Patel

Ajaz Yunus Patel is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Central Districts in domestic cricket. Originally from Mumbai, Patel moved to New Zealand with his family at the age of eight. He began his cricket career as a left-arm seam bowler but later transitioned to slow left-arm orthodox spin.

Patel made his international debut for New Zealand in October 2018, followed by his Test debut in November of the same year, where he took five wickets in the second innings. In May 2020, he earned a central contract from New Zealand Cricket for the 2020-21 season. In December 2021, Patel became the third bowler in Test history to take all ten wickets in a single innings, joining the ranks of Jim Laker and Anil Kumble.

Ajaz Patel Along the Years  

Ajaz Patel Records 

• Third International player after Jim Laker and Anil Kumble to take 10 wickets  in a test inning.

Ajaz Patel Career 

Ajaz made his debut for New Zealand on October 31, 2018, in a Twenty20 International against Pakistan. His journey echoed that of his mentor, Dipak Patel, who also opened the bowling for New Zealand during the 1992 World Cup. Ajaz's consistent performances at the domestic level earned him a spot on the national team. In 2018, he took 48 wickets at an impressive average of 21.52, helping the Central Stags win the championship. For three consecutive seasons, he was the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket.

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), Ajaz moved to New Zealand with his family in 1996. He became the fifth cricketer of Indian origin to represent New Zealand, joining the likes of Ted Badcock, Tom Puna, Ish Sodhi, and his schoolmate Jeet Raval.

Ajaz Patel Domestic Career

Ajaz Patel is a gifted left-arm spinner who has been instrumental for Central Districts in several New Zealand domestic cricket competitions. Since December 10, 2012, when he made his First-Class debut in the Plunket Shield, he has participated in 104 games. With an average of 33.28, Patel has taken 372 wickets from 23,778 deliveries. His best bowling stats are 10/119 in an innings and 14/225 in a match. 

On December 7, 2012, Patel made his T20 debut in the shorter HRV Cup (now Super Smash). With an astounding average of 24.10, he has taken 87 wickets at a distance of 1,651 balls in 82 contests. His 4/16 best bowling numbers in T20 cricket demonstrate his ability to have a big influence at pivotal times. Patel's economy rate of 7.62 indicates how well he manages runs while claiming crucial wickets.

On December 27, 2015, Patel made his Ford Trophy debut for Central Districts in List A cricket. Throughout the course of 44 games, he has struck out 2,170 balls while claiming 49 wickets at an average of 38.46. He has maintained an economy rate of 5.21 and his best numbers in this format are 3/31. Despite having less impressive List A numbers as compared to his previous formats, Patel is still a vital member of the Central District's bowling lineup. 

Ajaz International Career 

Ajaz Patel was chosen for the New Zealand Test team for their series against Pakistan in July 2018. On October 31, 2018, he made his T20I debut against Pakistan after being included in the New Zealand T20I team for the same trip later in October 2018. Patel did not participate in the ODI series, despite being added to the ODI team on this tour. On November 16, 2018, he played in his first Test match against Pakistan, taking five wickets in the second innings to help New Zealand win by four runs and claim Man of the Match honors.

Patel was included in the New Zealand ODI team for their tour of Pakistan in August 2021. He was later added to the Test team for their two-match series against India in November 2021. Patel claimed three wickets in each of the two innings of the first Test, which resulted in a draw. Patel created history in the second Test, which took place in December 2021, when he finished with figures of 10/119, taking all ten wickets in India's opening innings. He became the third player in Test history to take ten wickets in an innings with this achievement. In the second innings, he picked up four more wickets to make an incredible match total of 14 wickets.

Ajaz Patel Test Career 

Ajaz Patel started his Test career against Pakistan on 16 November 2018. In his debut match, Ajaz surprised everyone by taking 5 wickets in the second innings. In the first series, Ajaz Patel's bowling troubled Pakistan in their own home and he took a total of 13 wickets in three matches with a five-wicket haul.

Ajaz Patel was dropped from the Test team due to not taking any wicket in the Test series against Sri Lanka, after which he made a comeback against Sri Lanka after almost 8 months and took the second five-wicket haul of his Test career in the first innings of the first Test match.

The year 2021 proved to be a milestone in Ajaz Patel's Test career, where he made excellent use of the Indian conditions and took 17 wickets in two Test matches, in which he also had a world record of taking 10 wickets in the first innings of the second Test match.

Ajaz Patel became the third bowler after England's Jim Laker and India's Anil Kumble to take 10 wickets in a Test match. Ajaz Patel has so far taken 70 wickets in 32 innings of 19 Test matches, in which he has a 55-wicket haul and a 10-wicket haul to his name.

Patel was chosen for New Zealand's Test series against Bangladesh in November 2023. He further cemented his status as a vital member of New Zealand's team in the longest format of the game by taking six wickets in the first Test and eight more in the second.

Ajaz Patel T20 International Career 

Ajaz Patel started his T20 career on 31 October 2018 against Pakistan. In his debut match, Ajaz Patel took only one wicket while bowling for 27 runs in four overs. In the next game of the same series, Ajaz Patel did not take any wickets for 18 runs in two overs.

In the T20 series against Bangladesh in 2021, Azad took 10 wickets in five matches at an economy of 3.65, which was the last series of his T20 career, as of October 2024. Despite performing well in this series against Bangladesh, Ajaz Patel is still looking for a way to return to T20 cricket. Ajaz has so far taken 11 wickets in a total of seven T20 matches with a four-wicket haul.

Ajaz Patel Family Background

Ajaz Yunus Patel was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on October 21, 1988. He is a well-known cricket player who has made a name for himself in the international circuit. His parents, Yunus Patel, a businessman, and Shahnaz Patel, a school teacher, instilled values in him during his upbringing, and he also received support from his two sisters, Tanzeel Patel and Sana Patel. Ajaz attended Mount Mary School in Goregaon West, India, where he received his foundational education.