New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel has been a bit of a late bloomer; It was at 30, five years back, that he made his Test debut against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. But despite starting his international career that late, he kind of made up for the lost time, with seven wickets in the very first match, including a fifer in the second innings, taking his side to a narrow four-run win.
Since then, Ajaz has emerged as New Zealand’s best bet in the spin department, wherever the team goes. In the 16 Tests he has played so far, he has bagged 62 wickets, at a decent average of 29.75. He has wickets against every opposition, at every venue, except for his home country, New Zealand. Yes, despite being an uber-successful bowler the world over, Ajaz has yet to pick up a wicket at home. In the three Tests he has played there, he is yet to clinch a wicket, despite bowling 49 overs.
So on Saturday, when he took 6/57 against Bangladesh in Dhaka in the second Test, he just added another country to his list, for picking up wickets, without having a wicket at his home.
Ajaz Patel Record at Home vs Away (Including Bangladesh vs New Zealand)
| Matches | Wickets | Avg | Eco |
| Away | 62 | 29.75 | 3.09 |
| Home | 0 | – | 2.16 |
But as expected, he has done exceptionally well, where there is assistance to spinners, i.e. India, Bangladesh, UAE, and Sri Lanka. If we speak for India alone, he has 17 wickets in two matches, followed by 14 wickets in Bangladesh. Then in UAE, he has 13 wickets in three matches only.
| Venue | Against | Matches | Wickets |
| India | India | 2 | 17 |
| Bangladesh | Bangladesh | 2 | 14 |
| Pakistan | Pakistan | 2 | 5 |
| Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | 2 | 9 |
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