Auckland: New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel on Thursday said that if the groundsmen are able to create spinning tracks in the country, then it will help the batters to develop their game further.
Ajaz’s remarks come as he has been dropped from the Test squad for the series against Bangladesh. The spinner had last taken ten wickets in an innings against India at the Wankhede Stadium.
“The reality is that they are looking for more batting at home and that is one aspect I am working on. Hopefully, there are a few opportunities to play some good knocks, and I will make sure that hunger is there. Right now, we’ve got some of the best proper fast bowlers we’ve ever had in New Zealand. That’s not disrespecting any other era but, that’s the reality now. In the future, it may be different where a specialist spinner becomes more valuable in that environment,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Patel as saying.
“My job as a spinner is to show the groundsmen that something is possible here. And it’s up to the groundsmen to then turn around and say, ‘we want to see some spin bowling in New Zealand’. It’s about trying to drive that change. At the same time, it’s difficult to do that in the home conditions. Mount Maunganui is the main ground at the moment when it comes to spin bowling in New Zealand,” he added.
Speaking further about how he would like to see the pitches in New Zealand, Ajaz said: “I’d love to see a few more wickets that offer something. Even in domestic cricket, there is space for groundsmen to experiment a little bit and give players a different challenge. Even from a batting perspective, it allows players to learn how to cope.”
New Zealand coach Gary Stead had cited their ‘horses-for-courses’ selection policy to explain the exclusion of star spinner Ajaz Patel ahead of the Bangladesh series.
Skipper Kane Williamson was ruled out of the Test series against Bangladesh as New Zealand announced the squad on Wednesday.