Ajaz Patel: Glamorgan sign New Zealand spinner for September
- Published
Ajaz Patel started his playing career as a fast bowler but switched to spin to earn a professional contract
Glamorgan have signed New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel for four Championship matches in September after the departure of Colin Ingram and Michael Neser.
Slow left-armer Patel, 33, has played 12 Tests and seven T20 internationals.
He is best known for taking all 10 wickets in an innings against India in December 2021, when he became only the third man to do so in a Test.
Glamorgan also want a second overseas recruit to help their promotion push.
They have been left without any of their three overseas players for the closing stages of the season, with Ingram allowed to join the Caribbean Premier League in late August under the terms of his county contract, while Neser will depart in August to join Marnus Labuschagne in preparing for the Queensland season.
Mumbai-born Patel has claimed 43 wickets in his Test career at an average of 27, after making his international debut aged 30.
"We've opted to bring in a left-arm spinner to complement our attack. Ajaz Patel has been over here with the New Zealand tour so he's got some experience here, and his Test record is very good," Glamorgan director of cricket Mark Wallace told BBC Sport Wales.
"We're hoping him coming in for the last month will give us that point of difference to push on for Championship promotion.
"You tend to find in the last month that pitches are all on their second cycle of the season so there tends to be a bit more wear, with the dry weather as well, and that's the reason to go for a spinner to complement Andrew Salter's off-spinners."
Patel is a virtual newcomer to county cricket, having taken just two wickets in two matches for Yorkshire in 2019, one of which was almost entirely washed out.
His recruitment represents a change of emphasis for Glamorgan, with both Labuschagne and Ingram playing as top-order batters who also bowl spin, while Neser is a fast-bowling all-rounder.
The county will assess whether to chase a batter or seam bowler as the other overseas player, depending on the state of the Championship table after their match against Leicestershire.