Jeetan Patel – 5 of the best

Today at the start of Jeetan Patel Week, where we say farewell to one of the greatest Bears in history through our Club channels, Brian Halford looks back at five of his greatest performances for the Club.

120 v Yorkshire at Edgbaston (County Championship) May 8-9, 2009

Jeetan Patel walked to the crease for the first time for Warwickshire with his team in deep trouble. In reply to Yorkshire’s 600 for eight declared, the Bears were 241 for eight, still way short of avoiding the follow on, when Jeets went in at number ten.

Immediately, he showed the Bears fans that here was a player who makes things happen.

He joined Jonathan Trott, who had dug in deep and was on 80. “When I went in, all I could think of was getting him to his hundred,” recalls Patel. “I’d heard about what Trotty was like and didn’t want to annoy him first time up!”

Trott wasn’t annoyed. He soon reached his century and then watched approvingly from the opposite end as Patel turned the attack back on the strong White Rose bowling unit. The debutant blasted his maiden first class century – 120 from 155 balls with 16 fours and two sixes – in a partnership of 233 to lift the Bears to 482 and safety in the match.

It remain the highest ever score by a Bears number ten. Welcome to Edgbaston, Jeets!

32-4-95-6 v Surrey at The Oval (County Championship), May 25-26, 2012

The Bears’ glorious championship campaign of 2012, contained certain moments when there was an almost tangible sense of ‘something good’s happening here’ – one of them was this early-season win, set up by brilliant bowling from Jeets in the third innings.

In an absorbing match, Surrey won what looked a vital toss and chose to bat on a pitch expected to turn later on. But the Bears secured a first innings lead of 24 and then Jeets unpicked the home side’s second innings in a spell of sustained aggression and accuracy. He took wickets four to nine, most significantly bowling Jacques Rudolph before he got going and then winning an lbw decision to end a dangerous counter attack by Chris Jordan.

The Bears needed 222 to win, Tim Ambrose saw them home and, thanks to the platform built by Jeets, the title momentum took on a whole new impetus.   

10-2-25-4 v Durham at Lord’s (Royal London Cup), September 20, 2014

Any team needs its big players to lead the way in the biggest games. Patel relished the showpiece occasions and invariably delivered.

This is a classic example and his skills so nearly delivered the unlikeliest of victories after the Bears had under-performed with the bat.

Put in on a damp pitch, the Bears were bowled out for 165 with only captain Varun Chopra (64) surviving more than 40 balls. But two quick wickets from Rikki Clarke kept the Bears in the game and then Patel cranked up the pressure with a brilliant spell, removing Keaton Jennings, Mark Stoneman, Scott Borthwick and Gordon Muchall.

He did not dismiss Ben Stokes, but heaven only knows how Stokes survived as he could barely lay a bat on the spinner, but the England all-rounder did survive and, Jeets having bowled all his overs, Durham crept home to a three -wicket win.

To Durham, the trophy, but it was Jeets who supplied the masterclass.

4-0-22-4 v Notts Outlaws at Edgbaston (T20 Blast), July 8, 2017

Notts Outlaws possessed the most destructive top order around but they were lured to their collective doom by a consummate display of high-class, steel-nerved spin bowling in the Bears’ hope Blast opener of 2017.

Michael Lumb raced to 16 from seven balls then took a liberty with Patel and was cramped into sending up a catch to Will Porterfield. Alex Hales, Rikki Wessels and Dan Christian were similarly lured to their doom by the Black Caps ace and four Notts big guns had been well and truly spiked.

Jeets harvested superb figures of 4-0-22-4  as the Outlaws were restricted to 158 for six on a good batting pitch. On such a pitch, that analysis was exceptional, but Jeets’ satisfaction at his work was only complete a couple of hours later when what was always the most important factor of all for him fell into place…the Bears won.

Rikki Clarke and Colin de Grandhomme saw them to victory off the very last ball…one of countless Bears white-ball victories over the years set up by the magic of Jeetan Patel.

31-18-36-8 v Surrey at Edgbaston (County Championship), May 20, 2019

On a pitch helpful to bowlers, Warwickshire were lifted to 286 by a beefy ninth-wicket stand of 95 between Henry Brookes and Liam Norwell. Surrey then replied with 188, Patel taking 31-14-53-4 as that pitch started to turn.

Now it became a spin-bowling duel between Jeets and Surrey’s Gareth Batty. In the Bears’ second innings, Batty took eight for 64 but skilful batting by Will Rhodes (54) and Sam Hain (41) left the visitors a tough target of 272.

Then Jeets got to work. A world-class spinner at the peak of his powers. He trapped Mark Stoneman lbw to end a dangerous opening stand of 30 and, from then on, was virtually unplayable. He ripped out the middle order with three wickets in 13 balls and six of his eight wickets were bowled or lbw. A high class Surrey batting was overwhelmed and the Bears won by 130 runs.