Aamchi Ajaz’s 10-fer!

By Mohammed Rumman Khan | NT

Ajaz Yunus Patel was dreaming big as he returned to the city of his birth. But even he wouldn’t have dreamed this up, when in his new avatar as a leggie for the Black Caps, he tore through the Indian side in the Test match against India, scalping an incredible ten wickets in one innings. The left-arm orthodox spinner is only the third bowler in the history of Test cricket to achieve the feat and the first to do it in the first innings of a Test.

Jim Laker, for England against Australia in Manchester in 1956, and Anil Kumble, for India against Pakistan in Delhi in 1999, were the only bowlers to have previously managed it. Taking 10 wickets in an innings is a freak effort, which takes both a huge amount of luck and the talent that sets you apart from the rest. And Ajaz was simply stellar, his endurance remarkable, finishing with a jaw-dropping 10-119 from 47.5 overs.

He also became the first man to do it away from home. He might also, as it turns out, be the first man to do it in defeat, with the merriment all too short-lived as the Kiwis were bundled out for 62. India didn’t enforce the follow-on as Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal walked in to bat; they lead by 332 runs on Day Two.

Speaking after his 10-wicket haul, Patel said, “By the grace of God, I think I’m very fortunate. I guess the stars have aligned for me to have an occasion like that here in Mumbai. To be born here and then to come back here and achieve something like that is pretty special. It’s surreal. It’s a special occasion for me and my family.