12 June,2009 08:19 AM IST | | AFP
New Zealand batsman Aaron Redmond admitted his sudden elevation from the backwaters of English league cricket to the World Twenty20 left him with no time to suffer stagefright.
Opener Redmond was named man-of-the-match for his 63 off 30 balls yesterday that saw NZ ease to an 83-run Super Eights victory over Ireland at Trent Bridge.
Just 24 hours earlier, Redmond was preparing for his match for Farnsworth in England's Bolton League before he received the call to replace stricken Jesse Ryder in the Kiwis squad here.
"I didn't have time to think about it. Sometimes it's better to get pulled from the couch. I was playing in the Bolton League. There were a lot of 50-over matches which were rain-affected, so it was good practice for this version," Redmond said.
Besides Ryder, out with an infection, skipper Daniel Vettori (shoulder) and Ross Taylor (hamstring) were also on the injured list.
Brief scores: NZ 198/5 in 20 ovrs (A Redmond 63; M Guptill 45) beat Ireland 114 in 16.4 ovrs (A Botha 28; N McCullum 3-15)
