MUMBAI: If shifting from India to New Zealand saw him fall in love with cricket, switching to spin from fast bowling paved the way for Ajaz Patel's entry into the game's top-flight.
The shift and switch both worked wonders as he became only the third bowler in Test cricket's 144-year-long history to take all 10 wickets in an innings.
A fast bowler growing up, the late bloomer's talents became apparent only after he started bowling spin.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches, he realised he wasn't quite going to make it as a pacer, which explained the switch to spin in his 20s, years after his parents emigrated to New Zealand.
When the Patels left their house in Mumbai's Jogeshwari area for New Zealand in 1996, he was only eight years old. In the new environs, he fell in love with the game and worked towards earning a name for himself.
Long before he got to savour his biggest moment in the game, it was former New Zealand spinner Dipak Patel, who encouraged him to leave pace and take up spin bowling. Dipak was then the coach of the New Zealand U-19 team.
In New Zealand, Ajaz began his career with Auckland, but it was only after he made a move to Central Districts that the player started to showcase his skills.
He made his T20 debut also in the same year but had to wait for three more years to play 50-over cricket.
Ajaz kept on taking wickets consistently and he was finally rewarded with a New Zealand call-up in 2018 after 16 five-fors and three 10-wicket hauls.
By picking all 10 wickets, the Mumbai-born Ajaz on Saturday joined Jim Laker and Anil Kumble. He also surpassed the great Richard Hadlee to record the best figures by a New Zealand bowler. Hadlee had taken nine for 52 versus Australia back in 1985. Agencies
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