Hungry for Success: Asia Specialist Ajaz Patel Seeks Opportunities to Shine

Ajaz Patel has been an impactful bowler for New Zealand, with 70 Test wickets to his name at an average of 28.50. However, he has only been featured in 17 out of 45 Tests played by the team since his debut. This limited playing time can be attributed to New Zealand's seam-focused strategy at home matches. On pitches that are initially covered with plenty of grass and offer bounce and carry throughout the Test, the team tends to prioritize spinners who can contribute more with the bat. This has led to players like Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell being preferred over Patel in certain match scenarios.

Patel, therefore, has become something of an Asia specialist, playing more than 70% of his Tests on the continent. He has thrived in Sri Lanka in particular, and on Sunday he wrapped up a second five-wicket haul in the country to finish with 6 for 90 in the second innings in Galle. Only Richard Hadlee has previously taken more than one five-wicket haul on the island for New Zealand.

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Patel conceded that there was "an element of frustration" at having played so few Tests despite his record. But "the hunger grows more every time you don't get an opportunity that you want", he said. "Every time you do get an opportunity you're pretty hungry."

That hunger has allowed him to make the best of being in a unique subset of cricketers - an Asia specialist from New Zealand.

"As a spinner you have the luxury of the ball doing a little more in these conditions," he said. "It can be challenging as well, because when you come to these conditions you're up against good players of spin as well. It's a double-edged sword.

"It's about presenting the ball in good areas for long periods and using what is available to us on the day - sometimes it may be the breeze, it may be the surface, it may be the pace of the wicket.

"It is responsibility I thrive on, and something I really enjoy."

Control was of course a key component of Patel's success, but at a venue such as Galle, which presents unique conditions, so was working with his environment. There is almost always a breeze across the venue as it is bordered on two sides by the ocean. Patel needed to know how to use it.

Patel has played only 17 of New Zealand's 45 Tests since his debut

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Associated Press

"Bowling into a strong breeze as a spinner is sometimes quite nice because you know you can hang the ball up there and the wind will do some work to bring it down. It's just about using the subtle changes of pace, and using that to your advantage."

The Galle surface is also one of those on which spinners find more purchase when the seam is harder. In the second innings, Patel got to use both the new and old ball, opening the bowling alongside Will O' Rourke before coming back when the seam was softer.

Four of his wickets came with the second new ball.

"There two separate phases - one with the old ball, and one with the new ball. With the old ball it was really about trying to get as much overspin as I could and trying to get something out of that surface. As the ball gets older and softer it doesn't react off the surface as much."

Patel and the other New Zealand spinners have been working with Rangana Herath through this tour, with the Sri Lanka great having taken up the role of spin consultant. Herath, having taken 102 Test wickets at this venue, has had plenty to add, Patel said.

At the end of day three, Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne said he suspected Herath to be directly responsible for his own downfall in the second innings, with Patel taking that wicket.

"It's awesome having Rangana in our side," Patel said. "He's someone I grew up watching bowl. In terms of stature and build we're very similar, and he was world class. So [it has been great] having him in our corner and being able to talk me through the conditions and what's given me success in Galle previously, and what conditions to expect.

"He's also helped me tackle different angles, different fields, and different mindsets. It's been a privilege and we're very fortunate to be able to tap into that knowledge. He's been very successful at this ground."