In November 2024, Ajaz Patel didn’t want to be drawn on whether he’d ever wear the black cap of New Zealand again.
The 36-year-old spinner had just bowled the Black Caps to a 3-0 series victory away in India, with an 11-wicket haul in his hometown of Mumbai.
That, in and of itself came after his visit to Wankhede Stadium in 2021, where Patel became the third cricketer in history to take all 10 wickets in a test innings.
And yet, given New Zealand’s lack of test matches, particularly in the subcontinent where Patel has become a specialist, there was no guarantee as to when he’d get the chance to play again.
Of Patel’s 85 test wickets, all have come away from home. Of those 85 wickets, 81 have come in Asia, at an average of just over 28.
But with the Black Caps not scheduled to play a test in Asia until they tour Pakistan in 2027, Patel’s uncertainty over his future was well placed.
However, eight months on from his last outing, the cards have aligned in Patel’s favour.
For a start, Michael Bracewell opting out of this month’s tour of Zimbabwe in order to take up a short-term deal in England has meant Patel’s return to the Black Caps’ test ranks.
Most significantly, though, Rob Walter has succeeded Gary Stead as New Zealand head coach.
The pair have previously worked together with Central Districts, where Patel regularly found himself atop the Plunket Shield wicket-taker charts, in spite of New Zealand conditions putting spin bowling at a significant disadvantage.
And when it came to picking his maiden test squad, Walter knew exactly what Patel brought to the table.
“Ajaz is a quality spinner,” Walter told the Herald. “When conditions are in his favour, I don’t think he’s ever let the team down, in fact, he’s excelled.
“For me, ultimately we want to have the best team on the park. It’s obviously dependent on conditions as well.
“If conditions do speak to it, it’s great to have a world-class spinner, who’s shown himself to be a world-class performer against the best in the world.”
Now, as has been the case with the best New Zealand generation in living memory, the question remains as to whether or not the Black Caps will require a spinner at all.
Under Stead, a strategy of four specialist fast bowlers without a spinner was the cornerstone of the side that won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.
Of those four, though, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner have retired, while Trent Boult has conceded he is finished with international cricket. Only Kyle Jamieson remains active, albeit absent from the Zimbabwe tour on paternity leave.
In the time since 2021, the Black Caps have seldom used a specialist spinner.
The bulk of the work has instead been done by all-rounders Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra, even if Mitchell Santner’s last two tests have returned two man-of-the-match awards.
That balance came under Stead, though. And even if the Black Caps have the chance to go in a different direction with Walter in charge, it will continue to be a horses for courses approach from selectors.
And with an obvious hole in New Zealand’s playing stocks, Walter is prepared to wait until his best laid plans can pay off.
“It’s very, very conditions dependent,” he added. “But you also have to have the right make-up from a squad point of view.
“We’re in a position where we don’t have a standout seam all-rounder. We have Daryl Mitchell, who provides some seam bowling, and then we’ve got guys who, I think, potentially can fill that role in the future.
“It’s about building them up, and in the meantime finding the best balance with what we have.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.