Redmond a Volt from the blue
As a youngster he would lie in bed and dream of playing the perfect innings at the spiritual home of cricket, the famous Lords ground in London, but through hard work, determination and a bit of luck, he joins a select club to actually get a chance to live the dream.
A colleague, and its difficult to argue with him, labelled Redmonds shock inclusion in New Zealands touring party last week as the biggest selection bolter in the past 20 years.
Redmond, 28, born in Auckland but with a playing career firmly entrenched in the south, with lengthy spells at Canterbury and now Otago, probably wouldnt go that far himself, but just days after getting the call he is still pinching himself.
It was a nice surprise and a great feeling, he said this week while in Perth visiting his family, including father Rodney who scored 107 and 56 to average 81.50 from his one and only test for New Zealand against Pakistan in 1972-73.
I had goals that Ive been working towards, and everyone wants to play for New Zealand, but I thought another couple of solid seasons of cricket and I might be in the frame, so I wasnt really expecting it.
You sort of know yourself that if you keep performing consistently then you might have a chance, but to get the call was a huge surprise.
When selection convener Richard Hadlee called last weekend, Redmond had just arrived in Perth for a quick stopover to see family before continuing on to England, where he was due to play league cricket for Wigan - as he has done for the previous three years.
That, and a reunion with his girlfriend of nearly three years, was put on hold though. Redmond returned to Dunedin during the week to train before travelling with the Black Caps.
When he arrives in England, it wont be a quaint country ground on his mind, hell more than likely be walking out to play that innings of his dreams at Lords - the venue for the first test starting on May 15.
You sit there at night and think about it and run through your whole innings even before you get the chance, so its pretty exciting to think I could actually get that chance.
Redmond, who is a converted opener after spending most of his career in the middle-order and prior to that as more of a leg- spinner who batted, says he possesses a simple game-plan, one he had built up during the past four seasons with Otago under coach Mike Hesson and captain Craig Cumming.
IT IS Cumming, in fact, who Redmond speaks most highly of, crediting the former New Zealand opener for helping him mature on and off the field.
Redmond scored 447 runs in the State Championship this season at an average of 40, and 555 runs at an average of 56 last season, dragging his career average to a modest 31.16 and putting him in the frame for a test debut at Lords.
I think my cricket changed a lot when I moved to Otago, Redmond said.
I probably didnt have the maturity when I was playing for Canterbury, but the opportunity for me to play in Otago has been great for my career.
Redmond once had a reputation as a man who enjoyed a drink or two, and was known to miss the odd flight.
Definitely since Ive been down in Dunedin Ive matured, and thats helped my career, he said.
I think Im just one of those guys who took a wee bit longer to mature and its all about learning to be a professional. Im a lot different to what I was like five or six years ago.
Ironically Cumming, a key figure in Redmonds rise with his leadership and professionalism, is one of the men he headed for an opening berth in England.
Ive just been trying to draw as much as I can from Craigs experience and get some consistency into my game. Hes great to be around and hes a class player. Playing with someone like him will always help your cricket.
Touted as a promising leg-spinner when his first-class career began in 1999, Redmond says he still enjoys rolling the arm over.
Its ticking along nicely. I quite enjoy the fact now that Im more a batter who bowls occasionally and well see whether I get a chance to bowl a bit at a higher level.
Redmond was hopeful his family would be able to make the trip to England for the tour, and that he would play a few more tests than his father, having already recently eclipsed Rodneys first-class runs tally.
I did let him know about it. I always try to wind him up, but he never takes the bait.
Name: Aaron James Redmond
Born: September 23, 1979, Auckland.
Right-hand batsman, right-arm leg-spin bowler
First-class debut: 1999
Provinces: Canterbury 1999/00-03/04, Otago 2004/05-present
First-class batting career: 66 matches, 3179 runs, four 100s, 19 50s, highest score 135, average 31.16
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Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 7:01 pm under