New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel wrote his name in cricketing history books by picking all ten wickets in an innings during the Mumbai Test against India recently, becoming only the third bowler to achieve this feat.
He finished with 14/225 in the match, which unfortunately his team lost after being bowled out for 62 and 167 while chasing 540 to win. This also earned Ajaz Patel the record for best bowling figures in a Test in a losing cause, eclipsing India’s Javagal Srinath’s 13 wickets against Pakistan in 1999.
Meanwhile, during an interaction with media on Tuesday, Ajaz Patel shared his thoughts and reaction to the deadly Christchurch mosque shootings which happened in 2019.
On March 15 that year, two consecutive mass shootings occurred at mosques in a terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, during the Friday prayers at the Al Noor Mosque in the suburb of Riccarton. The deadly twin attacks left 51 people dead and 40 injured.
Ajaz Patel had just returned home from the mosque when the news broke out.
Talking about the same in Hindi, Ajaz said: “Jo terrorist attack hua tha usmei obviously humari Muslim community pe impact hua tha. Kaafi ghabrahat wala mausam tha. Jumma ka din tha, hum namaz padhkar aaye the ghar par. Fer news nikla. Jis tarah se humare bowlers aur Prime Minister ne response di, aur jis tarah se puri community ne jo response diya, uss wajah se mai bolta hu ki jo humei pyar, mohobbat aur jis tarah se humari puri community ko include kiya.
(The terrorist attack had a huge impact on the Muslim community living there. It was a climate of fear. We found out the news just after returning home from the mosque on Friday. But the way our bowlers, Prime Minister as well as the whole community responded – with love – we felt included).”
He further added: “Jaise meri mummy agar ghar se burkha pehenke nikleingi, toh usmei koi problem nahi hai, woh bindass ghum sakte hain, koi kuch bolega nahi. Jo padosi hain, jab terrorist attack hua tha aur humara naya ghar bann rha tha, toh humare naye padosi, jo shift bhi nahi hua, unhone humei aate jaate dekha burkha mei toh soche Musalmaan honge. Jab attack hua, woh ek paudha laakar rakhe stairs pe jabki hum wahan rehte nahi. Aur unhone humko chithi likhke rakha ki hum aapke support mei hai. Toh jaise wahan log rehte hain miljulke, uss tarah se mereko dil mei yehi hai ki ek community hai.
(For example, there is no problem when my mother leaves the house wearing a burkha. No one will say anything. When the terrorist attack happened, our new house was getting constructed. We used to visit it often. So our neighbors must have seen us and realized we are Muslims from the burkha. After the attack happened, they got a plant for us and kept it on our stairs, even when we weren’t living there. They even wrote us a letter to show their support. So people have a strong sense of belonging there and they live together as one big community.)”
Ajaz Patel, who hails from Mumbai itself, couldn’t win the Man of the Match for his feat, as the award went to Mayank Agarwal who scored 150 and 62 in two innings.
(Indian Express inputs)
