Samit Patel: England all-rounder thought Test chance had gone

Patel played five Tests in Asia in 2012 - but is yet to appear in a home Test

All-rounder Samit Patel admitted he thought his England chance had gone, after receiving his first international call-up for two and a half years.

Zafar Ansari's hand injury meant Patel was drafted in for England's forthcoming three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

"I was not expecting a Test call," Patel, 30, told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"I thought the door was closed on Test cricket. It's unfortunate for Zafar but I have to make the most of it."

The Nottinghamshire man played five Tests, all in Asia in 2012 against Sri Lanka and India, and featured in 36 one-day internationals and 18 Twenty20 internationals between 2008 and February 2013.

As a left-arm spinner, Patel is a like-for-like replacement for Surrey's Ansari, but accepts he will likely start the tour as third-choice spinner after the incumbent Moeen Ali and Yorkshire's Adil Rashid, who is uncapped at Test level but was in England's squads throughout the summer.

"I think I will be behind Moeen and Rash to play, but I am just happy to get on the trip," he added. "I was planning to go on holiday to Dubai next week, so this is a pleasant surprise.

"When I didn't get picked against Sri Lanka, I wondered whether this day would ever come again. I would like to get more of a role with the bat but I will bat anywhere."

England arrive in the UAE on 30 September, with the first Test starting in Abu Dhabi on 13 October.