'We'll come out, fight and see where we get to' - Ajaz Patel on New Zealand's gameplan on Day 5

New Zealand are in need of a miracle on Day 5 of the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet after losing seven wickets for 113 runs in their pursuit of a daunting 332-run target on Friday, December 1. However, Kiwi spinner Ajaz Patel is in no mood to throw in the towel and assured that his team will fight till the end.

Daryl Mitchell, who has been in excellent form in recent times, remained unbeaten on 44 at the end of Day 4 and he has Ish Sodhi for company with skipper Tim Southee and Ajaz to follow. The left-arm spinner admitted that the tourists have their task cut out but he said that his team is not going to go down without a fight.

"Obviously, a lot of batting to do tomorrow. We've got Dazzler (Mitchell) there who's batted quite nicely today. And we know how capable Ish (Sodhi) is with the bat as well. I think we pride ourselves to fight all the way through. So, it'll be an interesting day tomorrow. We'll come out there and still fight and see where we get to," Ajaz said after stumps on Day 4.

The pitch has shown signs of deterioration as some balls kept low while others turned miles. However, Ajaz did not wish to point his finger at the surface and instead lauded the Bangladeshi bowlers for bowling in the good areas on a consistent basis.

"It's not a bad wicket. I suppose their bowlers have been very disciplined and put the ball in good areas and asked us good questions for long periods of time, and it's always challenging in the subcontinent with the amount of spin and we've just got to make sure that we have a sound game plan and tackle the bowling," Ajaz stated.

"I think it's shown consistently the morning period probably doesn't have as much in it. And then as the day goes on, it starts to kind of dry up in that top layer and starts to spin a little bit more. So, it'll be interesting to see how it plays out on day five. But I suppose also the other thing to factor in is that the new ball probably bites a little bit more and the older ball is a little bit softer," he added.

As a spinner, it's really about adapting your game to the surface: Ajaz Patel

Ajaz finished as the highest wicket-taker in the two-match Test series between New Zealand and India in 2021. The 35-year-old compared the surfaces on that tour to the one in Sylhet and mentioned the importance of adapting to the conditions on offer.

"To be fair, it's [pitch] different everywhere you go. It's different from ground to ground. I mean, even in India, we played on two different surfaces. We played one in Kanpur, one in Mumbai, and they were both totally different. So, as a spinner, it's really about adapting your game to the surface. And it's just making sure, at the same time, you're asking the best questions that you can based on the surface and finding the right pace and the right line for every different wicket," Ajaz explained.