Ajaz Patel is back in New Zealand’s Test squad and, fitness permitting, could send down his first delivery on home soil since early 2020. The left-arm spinner and wicketkeeper Tom Blundell have both been named for Thursday’s third Test against West Indies at Mount Maunganui, with the selectors anticipating more assistance for spinners at Bay Oval than is usual elsewhere in the country. New Zealand lead the three-match series 1-0.
Patel, now 37, last appeared for the Black Caps in Mumbai in November 2024, claiming 11 wickets and the Player-of-the-Match award as New Zealand completed a 3-0 sweep of India. He remains a first-choice option overseas but has rarely featured at home, where greener pitches and the all-round skills of Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and the injured Mitchell Santner have carried favour. Only three of his 21 Tests have come in New Zealand; the most recent, against India in Wellington, was almost five years ago. He passed 400 first-class wickets last week in the Plunket Shield, a timely reminder of his craft.
Head coach Rob Walter said the conditions at Mount Maunganui made Patel hard to overlook. “Ajaz is someone we can trust to come in and do a job if required,” Walter explained. “Bay Oval, as we know, has typically taken more turn than other surfaces around New Zealand, and the fact 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.”
Blundell’s return is straightforward: the first-choice gloveman has recovered from the hamstring strain that ruled him out of the second Test in Wellington. His stand-in, Mitchell Hay, contributed 61 to the innings victory there but now heads back to domestic duty with Canterbury. Fast bowler Blair Tickner is also out after dislocating a shoulder.
The seam unit retains the uncapped Michael Rae and Zak Foulkes, plus Jacob Duffy and Kristian Clarke. Kyle Jamieson, working back from a back injury, continues what New Zealand Cricket termed a “conditioning block” ahead of a potentially busy first half of 2026.
Squad for third Test v 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
The match begins on Thursday, with the hosts chasing a series win and Patel eyeing a rare chance to bowl on a turning surface in front of a home crowd.
