New Zealand have added uncapped spinner Ajaz Patel to their squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, starting on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
Late-bloomer Patel, 30, was in line to make his international debut in the test series between the same nations next month in the UAE.
But new coach Gary Stead has called on the left-arm spinner to bolster his slow-bowling options for the three T20s, alongside fellow Indian-born tweaker Ish Sodhi.
"It's no secret that spin is crucial in this part of the world and with the wickets on the slower side, we've taken the option of a second spinner to bring our squad up to 14-players," Stead said.
"We're fortunate that Ajaz has been playing over here for the past month and playing well."
Patel claimed 4/57 at a frugal economy rate across three T20s between New Zealand A and Pakistan A, also in the UAE.
NZ T20 SQUAD
Kane Williamson (capt), Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Ross Taylor, Mark Chapman, Corey Anderson, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Ajaz Patel, Lockie Ferguson, Seth Rance.
AAP
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