New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel has joined Leicestershire for their return to the top flight of the County Championship. The 37-year-old moves to Uptonsteel Grace Road as a replacement for Keshav Maharaj, whose planned four-month stint with Leicestershire was cancelled by mutual consent because of availability issues.

The East Midlands club said "workload constraints" had been put on the spinner by Maharaj's South Africa national team bosses. It is not the first time Maharaj has been replaced by Patel in a County Championship side, with the Kiwi first being exposed to the competition at Yorkshire in 2019 after being recruited on a short-term deal after the Proteas spinner's late season exit.

Patel's spell at Headingley came before he shot to international notoriety as the third bowler in history to take 10 wickets in a Test innings in 2021 - having claimed an incredible 10-119 against India in Mumbai, the city where he was born. England off-spinner Jim Laker and India leg-spinner Anil Kumble are the only other players to have achieved the feat.

Leicestershire described Patel's additions as a "significant achievement" with director of cricket Claude Henderson saying the New Zealander is a player who has found himself in "pretty select company" with his international exploits. "Additionally, having played county cricket before, along with his international experience, can only benefit the changing room," Henderson added.

Patel's move to Leicestershire will not only see the former Glamorgan and Durham bowler return to County Championship action, but also feature in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup for the first time after being made available for all three formats. Patel told the club website that he is "excited" to be joining the newly-promoted side and added that he is determined to bring even more success to the club.