…With help for the spinners expected at Bay Oval, Ajaz could play his first home Test in more than five years

AJAZ Patel is in line to play his first Test match in more than a year, and his first home Test in more than five years.

Ajaz was brought into New Zealand’s squad for the third Test against West Indies, which begins on Thursday in Mount Maunganui. Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell, who missed the second Test in Wellington with a hamstring tear sustained during the first Test in Christchurch, is also back in the squad.

Fast bowler Blair Tickner, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in Wellington, goes out of the squad, as does Mitchell Hay, who made his Test debut in Blundell’s absence and scored 61 in New Zealand’s innings win. Hay will return to domestic duty with Canterbury.

New Zealand lead the three-Test series 1-0.

Ajaz’s last appearance came in Mumbai in November 2024, when he took 11 wickets in a Player-of-the-Match performance as New Zealand wrapped up a 3-0 whitewash of India. He is a first-choice frontline spinner overseas, but has rarely had a chance to play on green, seaming home pitches where New Zealand have tended to prefer the utility of spin-bowling allrounders such as Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner, the last of whom is out of this series with a groin injury.

Only three of Ajaz’s 21 Tests so far have come at home; the last one was back in February 2020 against India in Wellington. Last week, the 37-year-old left-arm spinner picked up his 400th first-class wicket during a Plunket Shield match for Central Districts against Canterbury.

The likelihood of help for spinners in Mount Maunganui contributed to Ajaz’s selection.

“Ajaz is someone we can trust to come in and do a job if required,” New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said. “Bay Oval, as we know, has typically taken more turn than other surfaces around New Zealand, and the fact [that] he turns the ball away from the right-hander is very appealing.

“Taking another spinner into the third Test also gives a bit more variance in our bowling attack, along with our seamers who have been doing a great job thus far this series.”

Fast bowlers Michael Rae, Zak Foulkes, Jacob Duffy and Kristian Clarke remain in the squad for the third Test.

Seam-bowling allrounder Kyle Jamieson, who recently made a return to first-class cricket for the first time since recovering from a back injury, is “progressing well through his red-ball return-to-play plan,” according to an NZC release. “He will continue to work closely with BLACKCAPS support staff on his return to the Test arena.

 Jamieson is working through a conditioning block after a full start to the summer, as part of his preparation for what is shaping up to be a busy first half of 2026.”

New Zealand squad for third Test vs West Indies

Tom Latham (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, ⁠⁠Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, ⁠Kane Williamson, Will Young