New Zealand encountered their second shock of the day, with Jeetan Patel announcing his retirement from international cricket. However, he will continue to play for Warwickshire and Wellington in England and New Zealand respectively.
Luke Ronchi, the Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman had announced his retirement earlier today as well. Both Ronchi and Patel were not expected to feature on the 21-player list of central contracts which will be announced by New Zealand Cricket on Friday. Reports suggest that this might be the prime reason behind their impromptu step.
Jeetan Patel felt that it was the right time to part ways with the New Zealand cricket team. He refused any public interactions in order to avoid any fuss surrounding his decision. He commented that he had sincerely enjoyed his comeback stint but strongly believes that it is about time for both him and the New Zealand team to move on.
2014 proved to be a big turning point in the over-a-decade-long career of Patel. He turned down a spot in the Black Caps squad for New Zealand's tour of West Indies due to his commitment to Warwickshire. However, he was again called up to the international squad during New Zealand’s Indian tour as a replacement for Mark Craig post his injury. In the following matches, Patel quickly went on to become the premier Test spinner for New Zeland – a title he cemented after his performance against South Africa.
Patel made his debut in 2005 against Zimbabwe. His bowling figures of 6 for 32 against Otago in the 2004/05 State Championship earned him the attention he needed to begin his international stint.
He played his last ODI against Bangladesh in Dublin in May 2017, a game which the Kiwis lost. Although he was a part of the New Zealand squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, Patel did not play a single game in the tournament.
His international career thus comes to an end having played 24 Tests, 43 ODIs and 11 T20s in which he took 65, 49 and 16 wickets respectively.
Patel had a stellar run in domestic cricket. He took a five-wicket haul against Auckland on his first-class debut in early 2000. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in country cricket after the 2014 edition.
Patel has worked wonders for Warwickshire in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
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