Former India batter Mohammad Kaif has recently made a shocking claim on New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel, despite the latter’s crucial role in Kiwi’s historic 3-0 Test series victory over India. Kaif’s comments became a topic of discussion, particularly given Patel’s brilliant performance at the Wankhede Stadium, where he continued his extraordinary record.
The BlackCaps became the first team to achieve a whitewash in a Test series of three or more matches on Indian soil. This feat was achieved mainly due to their spinning contingent, with Patel emerging as the side’s leading wicket-taker in the series with 15 wickets, including 11 at the Wankhede Stadium alone. However, in a video shared on social media, Kaif dismissed Patel’s achievements.
“Ajaz Patel didn’t bowl well. If you see his pitch map, he delivered two full-toss, two short balls, and two length deliveries but still managed to take wickets. Bowlers like Ajaz Patel are found in every local club,” said Kaif in a video posted on his X handle.
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The 36-year-old spinner has now picked 23 wickets at Mumbai in just two matches, surpassing Ian Botham’s tally of 22 wickets to become the most successful overseas bowler at a single Test ground in India. He previously made history in December 2021 by becoming only the third bowler in Test cricket to take all ten wickets in an innings.
“Glenn Phillips is a part-timer and he doesn’t know how to bowl good deliveries. We lost to part-timers and not to quality spinners. Let people say that Ajaz Patel has taken 22 wickets at the Wankhede Stadium. He can’t even land the ball properly. Ajaz Patel bowled just two good deliveries in an over and got wickets. The defeat in the final Test is embarrassing. There was no bowler in New Zealand side in the Mumbai Test,” Mohammad Kaif added.
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The only New Zealand spinner who Kaif praised was Mitchell Santner, who claimed 11 wickets in the Pune Test before being sidelined due to injury. “Santner did bowl well. The bowling he produced in Pune was a classic Test match performance,” Kaif concluded.
