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Following a clinical win in the second Test against the West Indies in Wellington, New Zealand, the team has recalled spinner Ajaz Patel for the third and final Test, which is set to commence on December 18 in Mt Maunganui.
Patel will replace Blair Tickner, who dislocated his shoulder on the boundary during the opening day of the Wellington Test. Tom Blundell also returns to the 14-member squad, replacing Mitchell Hay, who scored a steady 61 in his debut Test knock. Patel's last appearance in whites was against India at the Wankhede Stadium, where he produced a player-of-the-match performance, picking up 11 wickets, which helped the Blackcaps complete a historic 3-0 whitewash. The third Test could be Patel's first Test match on home soil since February 2020, if he were to make it to the final XI. New Zealand head coach Rob Walter, while speaking about the spinner's selection, said, "Ajaz is someone we can trust to come in and do a job if required. "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," Rob Walter said as per the ICC website. Walter also welcomed the experience of Blundell to the home side. "Tom has recovered very well from his hamstring tear, and we're grateful to have someone of his caliber back in the side. His experience is invaluable, even more so as we have a few guys in the squad who are relatively new to Test cricket - he is a leader in the group, and we're very pleased to see him back," he added. New Zealand moved to third place, alongside Sri Lanka, in the ICC World Test Championship standings after a comfortable nine-wicket win over the West Indies in the second Test, with Jacob Duffy being the pick of the bowlers. New Zealand squad for the third Test: Tom Latham (C), 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. (ANI)
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