When Kiwi sniper Ijaz Patel bowled India’s Muhammad Siraj in the ongoing Test match against India in Mumbai, he became the third bowler in the history of cricket to take 10 wickets in an innings.
In the second Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai, New Zealand left-arm sniper Ijaz Patel has become the third bowler in the history of cricket to bowl all the players in an innings.
He became the third bowler to take 10 wickets in an innings when he dismissed India’s Muhammad Siraj on the afternoon of the second day of the match on Saturday.
Mumbai-born Ijaz Patel moved to New Zealand at the age of eight, where he started playing cricket at school with his uncle.
His parents come from a Muslim family in Gujarat but he moved to Mumbai for his work, where Ijaz was born in 1988 and then moved to New Zealand in 1996.
Ejaz Patel has played only 10 Tests so far and has taken 29 wickets but the 11th Test has made him a part of history.
He has always been considered to be the best left-handed sniper who bowls with his fingers, but in the presence of fast bowlers, it is difficult to find a place in his team.
He had visited Mumbai several times before coming to India for the current series but could never play in his hometown. It was his dream to play at Mumbai’s historic Wankhede Stadium for which he had to wait a long time.
Two days ago, when asked how he felt playing in Mumbai, he described it as the most important event of his life.
When New Zealand started bowling in the Mumbai Test, it was difficult for fast bowlers to take wickets. Opener Mayank Agarwal, who scored a century, became a leaden wall with Shabham Gul.
In such a situation, Ijaz Patel made a hole in the Indian front and got the first wicket but his next 10 balls had changed the color of the match.
He first bowled Chattiswar Pujara and then LBWed Virat Kohli after just four balls. Both were out for zero.
After that, although India scored 325 runs, all 10 wickets of India were taken by Ijaz Patel. He took 10 wickets for 119 runs in 47.5 overs.
Two more bowlers have done this feat before Ijaz Patel.
Jim Laker
England off-spinner Jim Laker had taken 10 wickets for just 53 runs against Australia in Manchester on 26 July 1956.
This unique feat was even more historic in the sense that he took nine wickets in the first innings of the same Test. In this respect, he took 19 wickets in this test.
Anil Kumble
Prominent Indian sniper and former captain Anil Kumble took 10 wickets in the second innings against Pakistan in Delhi in the Tests starting on February 4, 1999, while he took four wickets in the first innings. Pakistan had lost that test.
In the history of cricket, these three bowlers have done a unique feat of taking 10 wickets but this record of Ijaz Patel is unique as Ijaz has done this feat outside his country while the other two bowlers have achieved this feat in their own country.
Former New Zealand captain and left-arm sniper Daniel Vettori called it the most important event of Kiwi cricket’s individual performance and called Ijaz the best sniper of the future.