Aaron Redmond
Otago has taken the dramatic step of axing its captain
ahead of a sudden-death playoff game against Canterbury at the
University Oval on Sunday.
Aaron Redmond has been dropped from the one-day squad and
wicketkeeper-batsman Derek de Boorder will take over the
reins, with exciting left-hand batsman Hamish Rutherford
replacing Redmond in the squad.
Volts coach Vaughn Johnson said the selectors had no choice,
with Redmond enduring a prolonged form slump.
"The decision has been made for the sake of Aaron, really,"
Johnson said.
"He has been beating himself up and is probably trying too
hard. I get the feeling a week or two away ... is probably
best for him and also for the team at the moment.
"I'm not sure whether it [the captaincy] has taken away some
of his concentration in terms of his batting. I don't think
it has, really. But I just think sometimes, when you are out
of nick, the harder you try the worse it gets."
The former Black Cap has been a reliable contributor for
Otago over the years but has been woefully out of touch in
all three formats of the game this summer.
He was dropped from the twenty/20 team with three matches
remaining in the HRV Cup campaign. That would have been an
easier decision to reach with Brendon McCullum charged with
captaining that side.
But it is an extreme measure to drop the one-day captain
before of such an important game and reflects Redmond's poor
form.
In five innings, Redmond has scored 35 runs at an average of
seven. His high score actually came in the last game against
Wellington in Invercargill, where he scored 12 from 31
deliveries.
Johnson said the team understood the decision and "just have
to get on with it basically".
Otago has made one other change, with Warren McSkimming
replacing Jacob Duffy in the 13.
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