Frustrating England, but they will bounce back because they can!

“England Test team had been blunted in 2021 and this is very alarming for the longer format. England should not fall for the crazy-money-making models; rather make a model of their own that would help them grow organically and fly the flag of Test cricket with pride”

54 ducks in a Test calendar year!

The most Test defeats in a calendar equaling one of the worst Test teams in the history of Test cricket – Bangladesh!

An average of 24.13 runs per wicket is the lowest for England in any year when they have played at least 10 Tests, and the second-lowest with an eight-Test cut-off. Not only has 2021 been a terrible year for England's batters, but it has also been tough for batters in general: the average runs per wicket are the second-lowest, it has been in the last 40 years.

The top 3 of England batting lineup had averaged 21.33 this year in Test cricket, with just one century from 87 innings – Rory Burns' 132 against New Zealand at Lord's. The average of 21.33 is easily the lowest among all teams in 2021, and England's lowest in a year since 1989 when they averaged 18.21 in 33 innings.

The brittle top three meant that when Root came in to bat at number 4 - which he did in 28 out of 29 innings this year - the average score was 35 for 2. (The average at the fall of the second wicket was 35.21.) That is the lowest average score at two down for any team in a year when they have played at least 10 Tests; the next-lowest is 42.15, by West Indies, also in 2021.

In 15 out of 28 innings when he batted at No. 4, England had lost their second wicket before the score had reached 20. In those 15 innings, he averaged 48.13, with two big hundreds against Sri Lanka in Galle - 228, after he came in at 17 for 2, and 186 (5 for 2). When he came in later, his average was over 70, which suggests he would have been even more prolific had England's top three been more solid.

Gosh, how poor England have been this year and when they were complaining about the pitches back in India, it would have been better if they had accepted, their batting lacked technical and temperamental efficiencies.

Back in 2012, when England landed on the Indian soil as the underdogs, they did not complain but focused on the basics more - something, which paid rich dividends as Alastair Cook and his men left the Indian shores victorious.

Resolve was the motto of success for Alastair Cook in 2012 and the mantra was the same back in that historic Ashes win in 2010-11. When you start planning your batting by trusting the defence and patience – the rest follows automatically. The perfect example is dashing batter Rohit Sharma, who has been prolific in white clothes this year courtesy of trusting the defence, leaving the ball and patience.

England know such basics better than anyone, but surprisingly, they have failed to execute them throughout the year.

After being shot out for 68on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) – the bubble finally busted and the top and middle order of the English batting lineup – except Root faced the heat of critics and fans.

Something is not right with England and maybe the whole system needs an overhaul modification.

“If your system is strong and competitive, all the talk about coaching is somewhat peripheral. You'll have a Darwinian system where the best players come to the top of the pile and I don't think it's strong and competitive enough right now. An 18-county system with four competitions is basically too much to fit into too short a space of time,” said Michael Atherton to Sky Sports.

“A shorter, more condensed higher-quality first-class competition would, in the end, allow the best players to come through and they should be able to make the step up to Test cricket.”

“How you get there is not simple, but the fundamentals for Australia came from the fact they have a better first-class system and that's it really - you can over-complicate things.”

“A lot of the summer is given to white-ball cricket, but there's still a majority in England who like Test cricket and Ashes cricket above all. There's anger and frustration that they feel England's Test team has been marginalized and the County Championship has been hollowed out.”

This is the era of white-ball cricket and people love it – but there always has to have a balance between red and white-ball cricket. Perhaps, England lost the focus on five-day cricket – which is highly regarded as the ultimate accolade back in England, New Zealand and Australia - still today.

For commercial and entertainment interest – emphasizing on white-ball cricket is understandable but for that burying red-ball cricket to rest does not suit nations who have given cricket so much and people look up to them when greatness and tradition are concerned.

The batting woes for England in 2021clearly hint to the point of how badly England’s think tank had taken County Cricket less seriously - There has to be planning and some sacrifices along the way to try and help players groom for the long run – for Test cricket.

Although the County Championship program has been reduced from 16 to 14 games in recent years, the bulk of fixtures takes place at either end of the summer, when conditions make it harder for batters to thrive.

By contrast, Australia's domestic Sheffield Shield - contested by six states - comprises 10 matches apiece and a final.

The success of New Zealand in test cricket has been the same when they decided to change the first-class cricket and make it more competitive.

Naseer Hussain said, “These are professional cricketers. It is your game, take ownership of your game. I never walked off, when I was having problems against Courtney Walsh or whoever and said 'you know what, that was my coach's fault'.

“I don't mind you having all these techniques but it is about getting runs. If you've got a problem with pitches go and speak to [ECB managing director of men's cricket] Ashley Giles and tell him the pitches in domestic cricket are not good enough.”

“Look at what New Zealand did, they were going through a similar thing and the one big change they made was in their domestic cricket.”

“They played on better pitches, not flatter pitches, and you can see the results.”

England Test team had been blunted in 2021 and this is very alarming for the longer format. England should not fall for the crazy-money-making models; rather make a model of their own that would help them grow organically and fly the flag of Test cricket with pride.

England had been frustrating…too frustrating – but they will bounce back because they can!

Note: Statistical information taken from ESPNcricinfo

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 31/12/2021 Frustrating England, but they will bounce back because they can!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Ross Taylor: The modern day great

“Taylor had started from the scraps, worked harder to improve and elevate his game to the next level. He would blaze under the shadow of Williamson, but his achievements could neither be overshadowed nor undermined because Taylor is undoubtedly one of the modern-day greats”

 Heroes come from unlikely sources at times. At the start, they remain unknown to many, ignored, criticized and left in the cold; but in the end, such heroes prove their worth and stamp their authority in the hearts and minds of the people.

One might call them the unsung heroes and put them in the category of the underrated ones.

Still, their impact factor speaks loud and clear to their support so much that it is hard to ignore them from the category of the modern-day greats.

Ross Taylor is one of the modern-day greats by all means.

At Johannesburg, back in 2007, South Africa simply mauled New Zealand courtesy of a fast bowler named Dale Steyn, who was at the height of his powers. The New Zealand batting order had the experience of Stephen Flemming and Scott Styris, while the rest of the batters failed to cut a satisfactory figure.

New Zealand presented the Test cap to batsman from Samoan descent since Murphy Su’a because his mother was from the Samoa village of Saoluafata, and also has family connections to Fasito'o-Uta – Ross Taylor. Taylor watched how South Africa devastated the Kiwis and realized how badly he needs to improve his game – the young lad just managed to fetch 15 and 4 runs from both innings.

He made his international debut a year back against the West Indies unit and in the same year, Taylor scored his maiden one day century in front of a delighted crowd in Napier, playing against Sri Lanka. The innings included 12 fours and 6 sixes. He hit 84 against Australia in their opening game in the Common Wealth Bank Series in 2006-07.

Taylor scored his second century in his ODI career in 2007 against Australia.

He scored 117, the 2nd highest score by a New Zealander against Australia at that time, and later on he was included in the Cricket World Cup squad where New Zealand were one of the favourites. It was not a memorable tournament for Taloy because he could manage only 107 runs from six matches whereas, New Zealand crashed out of the event after losing to Sri Lanka in the semifinals.

He could strike the ball cleanly with perfect timing and was very strong on the onside.

But, Test cricket was a different ball game that required more.

After 2007, players like Flemming, Styris and Craig McMillan left the scene and New Zealand were going through a transition period – they required the young guns to step up and take the responsibility.

Taylor had the swagger and shots under his belt, but he just did not know how to flourish in white clothes.

Leanne McGoldrick, the manager back then, convinced Martin Crowe, who dismissed Taylor as a dirty slogger, to help Taylor.

“I had just played for New Zealand and Martin was around as a commentator. My manager had a good relationship with him, and she said, ‘Martin's always willing to help. Why don't you give him a call?’ So I called him, and at that time I'd just made my ODI debut and hadn't played Test cricket. Tests were something I wanted to get good at,” Taylor said in an interview with Andrew Fidel Fernando.

“I flew up to Auckland and stayed with Martin. We both loved red wine. We talked 50% about cricket and 50% about wine. That was a good starting point. The relationship grew from there. When you have a batting coach in the team, they have to look at 15 other players. It was nice to have Martin give you his honest appraisal and not have any emotional bias. He'd look at me from a mental and technical point of view. That was invaluable to my career. I just wanted to play Test cricket back then. Here I am, having played 90-odd Test matches. I've been helped out by a lot of people, but definitely, Martin had a big influence.”

“The ball was going all over the place at Eden Park Outer Oval [first class match]. I saw him walking into the ground and around the boundary as I was batting and I thought, 'Geez, there's Martin Crowe.' Tama Canning and Kyle Mills were making me look silly. At that stage, I didn't really trust my defence. My best form of defence was attack... probably not what was required on the first morning of a first-class game,” Taylor in an interview with Dylan Cleaver.

“I was waiting [after being dismissed for 10 off 14 balls] to hear back from Leanne, but I don't think she had the heart to tell me. Eventually, I found out Martin had told her I was nothing but a dirty slogger.”

Crowe, nicknamed Hogan, would come around and forge a wonderful friendship with Taylor with the intention to help him grow.

“Talking to Hogan over time, things he said to me when I was 24 didn't resonate with the same effect as they did as I matured and my game matured. They certainly resonated further down the track.”

Taylor, being an attacking batter, more often, undermined his defensive abilities, which is very important to survive in Test cricket.

Crowe helped Taylor tighten up his defence.

“When there's a rained-out game and an old game will come on the telly, I'll watch myself, thinking, 'Oh geez, how did I bat like that?' You always tinker with your game anyway, but when you're younger and going through a lean patch, you tend to try to find quick fixes. Now I have learned to trust my game more.”

On the impact of Crowe, Taylor explained on the innings of 290 against Australia at Perth:

“I'd just recovered from the operation after an incident in Zimbabwe where I got hit on the box in the nets… actually it missed the box completely. To go over to Australia following that was tricky. I was underdone. I got a duck in the first innings at the Gabba and came out swinging in the second with no success. I was really out of sorts, but it shows how you can change yourself so quickly.”

“I got a nice email from Martin before the Test. If I ever write a book, it will have the email he wrote in full. It was a nice little reminder of where I was and where he was in his life at that point. He wrote the email from hospice. That put things in perspective.”

His technique could resemble a child playing in the gardens during leisure time, but that was what Taylor adapted well – his bat might not have come down straight in the earlier part of his career, though later on things started to change – less straight at the crease, but his backlift became straighter with the trigger movement being the initial forward press. At times, his footwork was questioned, and he worked on that as well to counter the spinners – even with limited footwork he was found competent and shifting of weight on the back foot improved his back foot play – the executions on the offside gradually improved.

Then came the temperament to bloom in Test cricket.

The perfect example was his classic 154 against England at Manchester in 2008, where the world witnessed an improved Taylor and what to come in the next decade and so on.

Taylor had laid all the insecurities to rest and set about proving that he's more than just a limited-overs player.

His mighty hitting was there to see when the delivery merited the shot, but for the most part, he played straight and late, and made crease occupation his primary concern.

It was an eye-opening performance from a man who'd been under-estimated after failing in his first two Tests.

Taylor said to Dylan, “The reason I hold [the Manchester innings] in such high regard was becaue, the conditions were tough and I was all over the place leading into that game. I got 19 and 20 at Lord's, and the way Hogan always talked about Lord's, it was the pinnacle for him. Whether that rubbed off on me and I put extra pressure on myself, I'm not sure, but I was all over the place and in a really bad headspace. To turn that around, to score 150, will go down as one of my best knocks.”

“To be consistent, the first thing you need to do is to survive your first 20 to 30 balls. To do that you need to trust your defence. More often than not, if you get through those first 30 balls, batting becomes easier regardless of whether it's a flat wicket, spinning wicket or if it is seaming around. Some days that might happen earlier, other days it stretches out to 40 balls.”

“The more you play the more accustomed you get to different conditions and environments… [but] no day is the same. You can be in good nick and have a bad night's sleep and suddenly you're struggling. You can be in good form and wait six hours to bat and by the time you get to bat, you're spent. You can be out of nick, squirt a couple through the gully for four, and all of a sudden something clicks.”

That knock gave Taylor a lifter – sadly, New Zealand cricket was going through a tough period.

The defeats were more in numbers than the victories – Taylor’s bat was not on song as well, but he always tried to be steady.

In 2012, he was made the skipper of the Test side and that elevated his game.

He averaged 54.60 with the bat that year and scored 142 runs that helped New Zealand win a Test in Colombo and ultimately, they came out as the series winners.

“I think at one point we lost ten or 11 ODIs in a row. And we also lost 4-0 in a series in Bangladesh. We were getting ourselves into good positions but we weren't able to capitalize on them. It seems like a long time ago, those games. But sometimes you've got to hit rock bottom to get to the top,” said Taylor to Fernando.

But, after that series win, Brendon McCullum had been appointed New Zealand's captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario.

Still, he put all the differences aside and shone with the bat in 2013 averaging 72.17!

“I think it showed you what you can do with a bit of resilience. I went two weeks without sleep. I was having probably two hours of sleep each night. But I was still able to score a 140-odd and back it up with a 70. It's amazing how resilient I felt I was back then. Things happen in life that are out of your control. It is what it is.”

Runs continued to flow from his bat in Test and limited-overs formats.

Day by day, Traylor had become the lynchpin for the New Zealand batting order alongside the great Kane Williamson and in the mid and later stages of the last decade, Taylor would witness the rise of Black Caps in Test cricket, where once upon a time, none would ever even thought such an improvement.

When Taylor clubbed a four through the leg side to win the World Test Championship final against India in the final, he ended 21 years of heartache for the Kiwis. It was the first time New Zealand were winning a major ICC title since the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy when Stephen Fleming had led them to their only world title.

After the historic win against India, Taylor would experience a Test series win in England since 1999.

There have been 432 Tests played in Australia and Ross Taylor has the highest Test score in Australia by a visiting player. He scored 290 at Perth in 2015. He has scored the most number of hundreds in Tests and ODIs for the Kiwis. He has so far taken 346 catches in international cricket, which is the most grabbed by a Kiwi in international cricket.

Taylor has played 100 Tests for Black Caps. He is one of only four New Zealanders to play 100 Tests. Others are Daniel Vettori (112), Stephen Fleming (111), and Brendon McCullum (101). He has played 100 matches minimum in each of the three formats and is the first player from any country to achieve this milestone.

Taylor has scored 7584 runs in Test cricket till ow, which is the most by any New Zealand batter in this format.

Taylor had started from the scraps, worked harder to improve and elevate his game to the next level. He would blaze under the shadow of Williamson, but his achievements could neither be overshadowed nor undermined because Taylor is undoubtedly one of the modern-day greats.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 30/12/2021 Ross Taylor: The modern day great

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Disgraceful defeat for Bangladesh at Mirpur

 

Almost three days of a Test match had been interfered with by inclement weather and with two days remaining, a dull draw was an expected result. But the home team – Bangladesh reached a new low by dishing out a staggering defeat within two days of the second and final Test at Mirpur. Since gaining the Test status – Bangladesh Cricket has earned shames of various kinds, but this new disgrace which had been earned at Mirpur cannot easily be accepted by any means.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.

The visitors saw off a tricky period just before lunch to end the first day, curtailed by rain and bad light, on top.

Babar Azam and Azhar Ali stabilized the innings that had been jolted by Taijul Islam before lunch, batting through either side of a brief rain delay to deny the hosts any further wickets before tea.

Babar brought up a fluid half-century while Azhar's innings was more of a battling knock as he shuffled on to 36 in 112 balls.

With the light fading, no further play was possible, meaning Pakistan had managed to get up to 161 for the loss of just the openers, and the chance to put together an impregnable first innings score.

On Day 2, Rain, which got heavier in the afternoon, allowed only thirty minutes of play.

Azhar Ali found enough time in the 6.2 overs bowled on day two to reach his 34th Test half-century, as Pakistan moved ahead by 27 runs without any further damages since the first morning.

Babar Azam, unbeaten on 71, tucked the first delivery of the day for four after Khaled Ahmed bowled it down the leg-side.

Azhar soon brought up the 100-run stand before he struck two fours off Ebadot Hossain to reach his fifty, off 126 balls.

 Day 3 was called off due to persistent rain and the Test match burst into life on the fourth day.

Pakistan declared after reaching 300 runs with Fawad Alam and Mohammad Rizwan reaching fifties and reply Bangladesh were in the mud.

Due to bad light, Babar was forced to operate with his spinners and guess what, Bangladesh found themselves in all sorts of trouble against Sajid Khan – who is not even Pakistan’s first-choice spinner.

Debutant Mahmudul Hasan Joy managed to edge a Said delivery to slip displaying his poor technique. Then, Hasan Ali made his presence felt at point, first with a simple catch to dismiss Shadman Islam before running out Mominul Haque with a direct hit.

Mushfiqur Rahim was the next to go, one ball after surviving a close leg before wicket call, as he tried to swing Sajid across the line with Fawad taking the catch at short midwicket – poor shot from a batsman with plenty of experience.

Then, Liton Das, sent ahead of Shakib Al Hasan, tried to attack Sajid but only hit one back to the bowler as Bangladesh slipped to 46 for 5.

Sajid then completed his five-for when he trapped Najmul Hossain Shanto for 30.

Shanto failed to cash in on his reprieves, first being dropped on 13 and later when he was caught behind off a Nauman Ali no-ball.

Under the grey skies – it was the spinners who tested and jolted the Bangladesh batting lineup.

Shakib tried to disturb the rhythm by flaying strokes, but Bangladesh kept losing wickets.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz became Sajid's sixth victim.

Shakib and Taijul Islam then survived 5.2 overs before play was called off.

On Day 5, Sajid bagged two more wickets and cemented his name in the elite list of bowlers in the history of Pakistan cricket.

Bangladesh were shot out for 87 and Babar enforce the follow on.

It was a matter of whether Bangladesh would be able to halt the disgrace or not.

Ultimately they failed.

Joy was done and dusted by a trademark Hasan dismissal to right-hand batters, drawing the opener on the front foot before the ball shaping back in, sneaking through the gap between bat and pad to knock back the stumps.

Then Shadman Islam was trapped in front by Afridi, who had set him up with away-swingers before bringing one in that clattered into his pads.

Hasan thudded one into Mominul’s pads in front of the stumps, before a brute of a short delivery saw Najmul Hossain helplessly scoop one up to gully off the splice of the bat.

Mushfiq and Liton joined together at the crease and arrested a collapse like Day 4.

 Liton, in particular, did well to unsettle the spinners on a pitch that, with capable batters at the crease, appeared to cast its demons off. There was a moment of fortune for Liton against the luckless Nauman, Ali who drew his outside edge, only for no one to realize it and appeal for caught behind.

They saw off what was left off the new ball, and looked to score off Sajid when introduced, adamant not to repeat the mistakes of the first innings. They continued in much the same way post-lunch, stretching the partnership to 73 before Sajid broke through.

Shakib and Mushfiq – two of the most experienced campaigners from Bangladesh were at the crease and easily Bangladesh could dream of a face-saving draw.

Mushfiq battled on while Shakib opted for a more conventional, sedate approach compared to his high-risk strokeplay in the first innings. All of that was overshadowed, though, by a decision to come through for a high-risk single minutes before the tea break. Mushfiqur put in a dive, but his bat had popped up before grounding and after lengthy deliberations, the third umpire sent him on his way.

Bangladesh looked as if they might just hold on after all in the final session when Shakib  - who scored a battling, valiant 63 - and Mehidy Hasan Miraz saw off the first hour of the final session without incident. But Babar came to bowl and fetched his first-ever international wicket by trapping Miraz – who played a shot that was against the demand of the situation.

Shakib departed against a quicker one from Sajid.

The great heist was on, and even more when Khaled Ahmed feathered one to Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan were suddenly just one wicket away.

At the same time, Bangladesh were creeping up to the magical 213 mark, at which Pakistan would be forced to bat again. With light soon poor enough to rule the fast bowlers out of the contest, Bangladesh would likely only need nine more runs to effectively seal a draw.

Taijul and Ebadot Hossain decided against that option, preferring to block their way through until light came to their rescue. A frantic Babar whizzed through his bowling options; while Sajid was a fixture from one end, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Nauman Ali and even Babar himself turned their arm over from the other. But it was Sajid who had the final say as Taijul found himself struck in front, with the review failing to provide the stunned hosts with any respite.

Pakistan would leave Bangladesh victorious while Bangladesh were left pondering on their lack of commitment.

Note: Input from ESPNcricinfo

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 08/12/2021 Disgraceful defeat for Bangladesh at Mirpur

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

It has been a long journey for Ajaz Patel

 

The little boy flew to New Zealand from Mumbai when everything was unknown around him. He and his family faced challenges to cope and since then, Ajaz Yunus Patel believed, he can overcome any hindrances in the coming days and it has been a long journey for the Mumbai-born spinner

 

At stumps on Day 2, Ajaz Yunus Patel would certainly not be delighted after watching the World Test Champions – New Zealand crumble at Mumbai in response to India’s first innings total. The kiwis were shot out for 62 and the only man not out was Patel at the other end, who, a couple of days back, along with Rachin Ravindra combined in a stunning rearguard to secure a thrilling draw at Kanpur.

The story was different at Mumbai – there would be no sort of resistance from the visitors as Virat Kohli rubbed salt to the wound by not enforcing follow on – allowed the Indian openers to have fun on a day that was historic for Patel and New Zealand.

Before the New Zealand batters dished out a nightmarish batting display, Patel became only the third bowler to pick up all 10 wickets in an innings in international cricket.

Ajaz joined the England off-spinner Jim Laker (vs Australia at Old Trafford in 1956) and the India leg-spinner Anil Kumble (vs Pakistan at New Delhi in 1999) in picking up all wickets in an innings. Ajaz also overtook Richard Hadlee as the bowler with the best figures for New Zealand; Hadlee had taken 9 for 52 against Australia in 1985.

The only other bowler from New Zealand to achieve this feat is Albert Moss, a fast bowler from Canterbury who took all ten against Wellington in 1889.

Patel struck on Day 1 when the India openers – Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal were going great guns.

In the 28th over, he lured Gill out of the crease and emphatically beat him in flight, but Tom Blundell, the wicketkeeper, botched a stumping chance. Ajaz, though, found Gill's outside edge next ball and had him nicking off to Ross Taylor at slip.

At the start of his next over, Ajaz hit Pujara's pad as New Zealand challenged umpire Anil Choudhary's on-field not-out decision. The verdict stayed not out, with ball-tracking suggesting that it would have missed leg stump – well, in the next ball, however, Ajaz got the sharp drift and even sharper turn from leg stump to knock back Pujara's off stump – a peach of a delivery!

In the same over, Kohli stretched far too forward and wore a full ball from Ajaz on his front pad before he nicked it. He had called for a review of the on-field out decision, thinking he had hit it with his bat first, but there wasn't enough conclusive evidence for Virender Sharma, the TV umpire, to overturn Choudhary's call.

Patel extracted extra bounce and turn – Shreyas had an uncertain prod at one and ended up inside-edging it onto his thigh pad. The ball lobbed up to Blundell who collected it cleanly.

Ajaz had begun the second day by sending India reeling from 221 for 4 to 224 for 6 in the second over, taking out Wriddhiman Saha and Ravi Ashwin off successive balls.

The Ashwin dismissal came via a peach, beating his forward defensive with drift, dip and turn to hit off-stump.

After lunch, Patel struck again!

He dismissed the dangerously well-set Agarwal to follow the ball with his hands because of the length and the sharp turn to feather a catch behind and Axar Patel was sent to the dressing room after being trapped lbw.

Jayant Yadav's had planned to have a go at Patel backfired when he holed out to long-off, and the record books had a new addition when Mohammed Siraj's slog across the line was sliced up in the air for a catch to mid-off.

The ball swirled and hung in the air for a second, a second that seemed a lot longer than it was as history held its breath until Rachin Ravindra's safe hands closed around it.

A remarkable feat in a venue which is his home town – he was a month old when New Zealand last played a Test in Mumbai and when he arrived in New Zealand, he was an eight years old boy with a lot of dreams in his eyes.

After twenty-five years he returned home that made him nostalgic.

Two days before the start of the second Test, Patel told the reporters, “I was thinking about it when we landed in Mumbai yesterday. It was nice coming out - we have come here with family for holidays [in the past]. It's a little bit different now, obviously. This time I am with cricket.”

“I have come to the Wankhede for a lot of IPL games, thanks to Mitch McClenaghan. He has been very kind every time I have come here. I have also bowled here a few times, training and stuff like that. It is kind of nostalgic being here. I just have to cope with not being able to see the family. I'm sure I will be making a quick trip back home very frequently whenever that's possible.”

“I have got various members of the family coming in on different days of the game,” he said.

“I guess it's the beauty of Test cricket. Everyone can come in on days that they are free.”

“I don't think about it [playing in front of the family] as pressure, it's more of excitement. I know we didn't get off at the airport. I have got a lot of flashbacks - leaving Mumbai for the first time and coming back to Mumbai for the first time, coming to Mumbai for a wedding and stuff like that. For me, it's going to be a very, very special moment.”

And, what a special moment it was!

“It is obviously quite a special occasion for me and my family,” Patel told Sky Sports.

“It’s pretty surreal. I don’t think you ever believe you can achieve something like this. To be able to do it in my career is pretty special.

“I think, by the grace of God, I am very fortunate that the stars have aligned to have an occasion like this in Mumbai. To be born here and then come back to achieve something like this is pretty special.”

But, surprisingly, Patel had no plans to become a spinner in his early days as a cricketer.

Rather, he was charging in with the new ball for Suburbs New Lynn in Auckland premier club cricket.

He followed the likes of Martin Guptill and Jeet Raval through the Avondale College first XI to the same club and spin bowling was not at all in his plans.

“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 in an interview with Stuff.

“I had to make a change if I wanted to progress and play higher up.”

It was the former New Zealand offspinner – Dipak Patel – whose influence helped Ajaz to take spin bowling seriously.

“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,” Ajaz told Stuff.

Moving to a new country from the subcontinent was a new challenge for him and his family. His father would set up a new business back in New Zealand apart from learning English and facing the daily challenges that made Ajaz feel, he would be able to cope with the challenges in the coming days.  

 His switching to spin bowling from pace was challenging but he did not give up and kept on working. The exclusion from the New Zealand Under-19 side was a significant blow and getting hit by Guptill at club level acted as a motivating factor. Still, cricket has always been a secondary for his father, who bought him first-ever spike boots – Patel nurtured his dreams and waited for his opportunity.

Ajaz toiled hard with the Central Districts without enough rewards and reorganization in the summer of 2010.

But patience and hard work always have their rewards - Patel made his List A debut in the Ford Trophy of the 2015-16 season. He took the most wickets in the 2015–16 Plunket Shield season, with 43 dismissals. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the following season, with 44 dismissals.

In 2018, for the series against Pakistan in UAE, Ajaz was included in the team among the three spinners.

Ajaz was picked in place of Mitchell Santner who was recovering from a long-term knee injury.  

“Ajaz has deserved his inclusion on the sheer weight of his domestic first-class form over the past couple of summers,” selector Gavin Larsen said.

Back then, was named last year's domestic Player of the Year and was a vital member of the Central Stags team that won their first Plunket Shield title in five years. He took 48 wickets at 21.52 and is among the three frontline spinners in the squad alongside Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle.

Ajaz was gobsmacked at the call from selector Gavin Larsen 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 madhouse for a minute and I was worried the neighbours might complain,” he said to Stuff.

“We're a close-knit family and the amount of support I've had… I owe it to all of them and it was nice to share it with them and see how pleased they were.”

"It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. If you told me then I'd be selected for the Black Caps as a spinner I'd say you'd be having a laugh as well. It's been a whirlwind but it's been good fun.”

Ajaz would be New Zealand's fifth Indian-born Test cricketer after Ted Badcock, Tom Puna, Ish Sodhi and Jeet Raval.

Patel credited Stags coach Heinrich Malan for questioning his gameplan and tactics and said the key to his rise was keeping it simple, bowling a huge number of overs and gaining confidence in his own game.

“When you bowl so many overs you tend to learn on the job. That's where my biggest improvements have come, figuring out what my game is and how I'm looking to dismiss different individuals. And thinking on your feet and being able to work out a few different plans. It's a good time to get this opportunity and I'm in a good space for it.”

The Mumbai-born spinner wasted no time in making an impact.

In the first test at Abu Dhabi, Ajaz bagged five wickets including the final scalp of a resolute Ali to take New Zealand over the line by four runs.

It would be an understatement to say the Test was an epic, Pakistan losing four wickets after lunch in a manic period of play to slip from 147 for 4 to 155 for 8, which became 164 for 9 not long after.

Ali and Mohammad Abbas then added 16 runs to get within one hit of sealing victory, but Patel struck the decisive blow, trapping Ali for 65.

In 2019, Ajaz would feature for Yorkshire and almost a decade ago arrived at Cranleigh Cricket Club in Surrey as a young cricketer in transition.

Rob Johnston wrote, “For Patel, summer in England playing as much cricket as possible for Cranleigh was the ideal way of grooming his new action. For the five months before, he had spent hour after hour with former New Zealand spinner Dipak Patel standing at the crease, without a run-up, and bowling the ball, trying to build a spinner's action from scratch. It was boring work, but essential. Even now you can perhaps see the influence of those sessions in the way Patel barely follows through, ending up behind the popping crease.”

“Matt Crump was the Cranleigh first team captain during Patel's first summer with the club and his initial impressions were that the 18-year-old spun the ball big, had a natural dip and ‘tried to give it a fizz every single delivery’ but that, unsurprisingly, he lacked control.

“When he bowled well, he was superb and would literally clean up,” Crump said to Rob.

“He just lacked some game awareness and how to work batsmen out. He just tried to bowl the same ball all the time, the magic ball.”

“Despite Patel's new-found role, there was one game where the club needed him to return to bowling seam,” wrote Rob.

“We had a couple of players missing so we needed Ajaz to open the bowling. He bowled five overs with the new ball, had a break and then came back on to bowl spin. He got a five-for in that game.”

Rob wrote, “The 2019 summer following his Test debut in Abu Dhabi, Patel was back at Cranleigh for another season of club cricket. He wanted to be playing ahead of the tour to Sri Lanka in August of that year. During his first stint at the club, Patel was like so many young overseas cricketers, talented, hoping to make a career out of the game but unsure if he would cut it. When he returned, he was a hardened first-class and Test cricketer. The difference was like day and night.”

“He was so professional nine years later,” Crump says.

“He was very disciplined with diet, how he approached things like stretching. It had a massive impact on everyone else because everyone sees that and goes 'Wow if he's doing that, why aren't we?”

Patel took 56 wickets in 13 matches that season at the remarkable average of 8.43 and his performances helped the club achieve promotion.

“The control he had and the tactical side of things, he just knew how he wanted to get players out,” Crump adds.

“We had a rain-affected game at Valley End. We were chasing promotions and had to bowl them out. He got seven-for and bowled one of the best 12 over spells I have ever seen at club cricket level. We bowled them out in the second to last over.”

“He was absolutely brilliant off the field too. If you wrote down what you want an overseas player to be, he would be exactly what every club would need. He was professional, turned up on time, and did all the junior coaching. All the juniors loved him. He would do spinning classes with them. I just couldn't speak higher of him.”

He knows, as a spinner from New Zeland, he would receive limited opportunities and thus his target has always been to utilize most of them as he said in an interview, “As a spinner, you thrive on situations where you have an opportunity to contribute to the team and contribute to the environment, especially as a New Zealand spinner, knowing how few opportunities we get.”

“I try not to put any [added] pressure on myself. I still just try to enjoy my cricket and you know obviously faith is a big factor for me, which allows me to stay grounded and back my abilities and be comfortable with whatever's thrown towards me. So, I mean, I just make sure I'm still working hard and developing my game and continue to grow so that when the opportunity does come, I try and make the most of it.”

Since his Test debut, he has been all about impact – Patel grabbed 5 for 59 on debut, as New Zealand successfully defended 175 in Abu Dhabi for one of their most memorable Test victories. Then, he went Patel went wicketless in the Wellington and Christchurch Tests against Sri Lanka. His specialist left-arm fingerspin was later needed in Sri Lanka, where New Zealand launched a remarkable comeback to level the series 1-1 with Patel bagging a five-wicket haul in Galle.

Although Patel was not picked for the Australia tour, and then went wicketless at Basin Reserve against India, he was rewarded with a first central contract by mid-2020, with New Zealand leaning towards a spin overhaul. Patel's accuracy and versatility were valued over Santner's batting and more defensive left-arm fingerspin.

After having proven his fitness and form in the domestic competitions, Patel worked his way back into New Zealand's enlarged squad for the England tour, with the World Test Championship final against India thrown in.

In the Test series against England, Sixteen of the 20 wickets they took were shared between Boult, Henry and Ajaz Patel. For all the success of their seam attack, Patel returned match figures of 4 for 59 in 23 overs.

After the series win against England, came the glory against India in the World Test Championship Final.

And, right now, Patel is relishing the moment in Mumbai despite a bittersweet Day 2.

The late bloomer has still a lot to offer for New Zealand. 

 Thank You

Faisal Caesar