Latham coy on Ajaz inclusion despite Bay Oval's promise of turn

Since his debut in 2018, Ajaz Patel has only played three Tests at home. Remarkably, he is yet to take a Test wicket in New Zealand, even as he has gone on to collect 400 first-class wickets including 85 at an average of 28.01 in Test matches away from home.

With Mitchell Santner injured, a long list of fast bowlers unavailable, and a Bay Oval surface that promises some assistance for spin, Ajaz has been added to the New Zealand squad for the third and final Test against West Indies at Mount Maunganui.

It has, in fact, been five years since Ajaz last played a Test in New Zealand, and even though conditions appear to align in his favour ahead of Thursday's Test, there have been no guarantees from captain Tom Latham that he will play. With allrounders Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Michael Bracewell available as part-time spin options, Ajaz's wait could yet continue. Still, Latham was full of praise for Ajaz's perseverance.

"You guys probably speak about it more than what we do," Latham said, when asked about Ajaz still being without a Test wicket at home. "Ajaz has performed beautifully in overseas conditions and he hasn't had a lot of opportunities here in New Zealand due to the surfaces that we play on.

"I think with us having allrounders as well in the group that do bowl spin, it has made his opportunity hard here in New Zealand, from just a strength in our batting point of view. I'm sure if he gets that opportunity he will do everything he can to take a wicket but more importantly do his role for the team as best he can."

In the last Test played at Bay Oval, South Africa left-arm spinner Neil Brand took a first-innings six-wicket haul, while Phillips, Mitchell Santner and Ravindra took a combined nine wickets in the match. Traditionally, the surface has favoured seamers over the first two days before flattening out, with spin coming into play later in the match. Ajaz, Latham said, becomes an appealing option because of his understanding of how to operate across changing conditions.

"I think it's probably his experience, really," Latham said, when asked what keeps New Zealand returning to Ajaz. "I saw the other day that he brought up 400 first-class wickets, which obviously shows he's got a huge amount of experience and probably knows his game better than probably anyone else.

"He has been extremely successful for Central Districts doing what he does in terms of being able to apply pressure, tie an end up, and when the opportunity presents itself, and when a spinner becomes a little bit more attacking, he knows how to bowl in those conditions that are favourable to him."

Latham also acknowledged that New Zealand's reluctance to regularly field more than one frontline spinner at home stems from a preference to lean into their strengths - using tall seamers to exploit green surfaces while playing to their batters' advantages against visiting teams.

"For us, it's always been about working together [with the groundstaff] and for them being able to come up with the best cricket wicket that suits our skillset," Latham said. "We've certainly seen throughout the last 5-10 years that surfaces have tended to be on the greener side and that certainly suited our balance as much as possible."

If Ajaz, 37, misses out again, his next realistic opportunity may not come until March 2027, when New Zealand tour Pakistan for a two-Test series. In 2026, their away Tests are scheduled in Ireland, England and Australia, with a home series against India in between. For Thursday's match, Ajaz is competing with fast bowler Kristian Clarke for the final place in the XI, opened up by the shoulder injury Blair Tickner suffered in Wellington.