KEY POINTS:
If Jeetan Patel ever gets sick of life on the fringe of the New Zealand team, he could always try a career in the diplomatic corps.
The Wellington off-spinner has been left out of the starting team so many times this season he could be forgiven for harbouring dark thoughts, especially as coach John Bracewell hasn't been slow to trial others.
But rather than stewing in his frustration, Patel has adopted a remarkably positive attitude, revelling in his selection for the coming tri-series, and professing to understand the "bigger picture".
Patel said: "It is frustrating because you do all the work and you still get the call on the morning of the game saying, 'Sorry mate, I'm going to have to leave you out.'
"But I've got to be happy I'm part of the squad. Obviously I'd like to play more but this is all part of being the second-string spinner, I guess."
Patel, who made a solid test debut at Newlands last year - taking three wickets and offering a useful cameo with the bat - wasn't required for either test against Sri Lanka this summer, and missed the cut in the first three ODIs.
Nevertheless, he's considered a chance to play in one of the final two showdowns against the tourists, the first of which begins this afternoon at Eden Park, with New Zealand leading the series 2-1 after wins at Queenstown and Christchurch.
Bracewell, who has declared squad development a priority, has already hinted at the chance of front-line spinner Daniel Vettori being rested at some point, so Patel might even receive his opportunity today.
Whatever happens, the finger-spinner reckons there is still a strong case for playing both him and Vettori in the same line-up. Patel said: "If we're going to go with that philosophy for the World Cup - that we're not sure what the wickets will be like - then I think we've got to trial playing both spinners. We often play together on the subcontinent and maybe we will again if we find some dusty ones in Australia later this month."
Patel said he'd spent the off-season working on his fitness and felt he'd been bowling well this summer, both in the nets and in his rare opportunities for Wellington - the most recent of which was a match against Northern Districts at Taupo.
He also believed his exposure to the New Zealand operation, in terms of training resources and development opportunity, couldn't help but bring about an improvement in his game, whether he played or not.
"I think I've developed quite a lot as a player over the past 12 months. I think I've enhanced the skills I've got - but that I've also started thinking about how I'm going to get guys out, and understanding the way to get them out.
"I'm also more aware of what the batsmen are trying to do. I just think I'm getting smarter as a cricketer and that can only help."
And Patel took particular note of Michael Mason's final-over effort last Sunday in Queenstown, when the No 11 arrived at the crease and was kept scoreless for five balls, before hitting the winning run off the sixth.
"Obviously a lot of work's been going in on my batting because I have to be able to hold a bat at the death and maybe score the winning runs," he said. "If I want to contribute to us winning the World Cup, that's got to be a big part of my game."
