Aaron Redmond

Aaron Redmond comes from a cricketing family. His father, Rodney Redmond, scored a hundred and a fifty on Test debut but never played for New Zealand after that. He could not do so owing to a problem with the contact lenses he was wearing. His son Aaron had no such problems though. He was named in the side that toured England in 2008 but failed to make a mark in any of the three Tests there. This was followed by the Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia. Redmond, having been brought up in Australia, found it to his liking and made 83 in the Adelaide Test. He is still not a regular part of the squad but is working his way back slowly into the side with some impressive domestic performances. He was instrumental in guiding his team, Otago warriors, to the domestic T20 title. With an added skill of wicket keeping in his resume, Redmond could double up as a keeper too if needed by the New Zealand team. Redmond did attract some criticism for his poor showing in the Tests in England. Martin Crowe felt that Redmond lacked what it takes to become a successful Test player. Aaron has taken these in his stride and is now looking to cement his place in the national side.

Redmond has still not found a permanent place in the Kiwi batting line-up. After being out of the squad for nearly 5 years he made a comeback when Williamson was out injured for the first Test against West Indies in December, 2013. However, he could not capitalize on the opportunity that came his way as he scored only 20 and 6 in the two innings. The selectors decided it is time to move on and gave the much younger Tom Latham a chance when India toured New Zealand in January, 2014. Redmond is 34, which means that age is not on his side and the emerging younger players have made it even harder for him to gain a constant place in the side.

By Ganesh Chandrasekaran

As of April 2014