Licence to Thrill Part One

by Satish Sekar © Satish Sekar (July 2^nd 2009)[1]

Editor’s Note – April 18^th 2025

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is underway. It is main club t20tournament in the world, although England’s new white ball (limited overs) captain, Yorkshire’s Harry Brook[2] has prioritised his country’s needs above the riches he could have earned in the IPL. Brook pulled out of the IPL for the second consecutive year after participating in the auction. In 2024 it was due to the death of his grandmother, but this time it was to ‘recharge his batteries’.

Following frustration from teams over late withdrawals, the IPL has initiated two-year bans for withdrawals that are not for medical or family-related reasons. Brook’s withdrawal left his team, the Delhi Capitals in a mess, struggling to replace him. Nevertheless, they sit proudly at top of the standings of the 2025 tournament, having won five of their six matches so far with eight remaining in the group stage.

We are publishing these articles from our archive again as we believe T20 has a very important role to play in the development of cricket then and we unapologetically still do.

The Editor

Hit and Hope

Twenty20 cricket had been dismissed as little more than hit and hope – a mad slog for twenty overs that is not proper cricket, but such opinions are misguided at best. When Chris Gayle destroyed Ricky Ponting’s Australia by taking on and smacking Brett Lee in particular all around the Oval, he was quick to credit his partner, André Fletcher for giving him the freedom to express himself.

“Credit must go to the way that André Fletcher batted and took the pressure off me,” said Gayle. “Once he was there and there was a bad ball as well you need to hit them. There was a really good innings from André Fletcher, but at the same time there might be a situation where run rate is important.”

Gayle is a power hitter that hits the ball hard and long, but surprisingly, distance doesn’t interest him.

“I don’t play that sort of game,” he said. “I just stick to my own strengths and I’m satisfied with that. It doesn’t matter how far it goes, as long as I help my side to win.”

The Unmovable Rock

His West Indies colleague Shivnarine Chanderpaul has developed a reputation as being an unmovable rock in Test cricket, but is a gifted limited overs batsman as well. He explained the demands of batting in Twenty20 compared to longer forms of the game exclusively for us.

“Well, you still have to play a lot of basic cricket out there,” he said, “and if you have balls in the area to hit you have to hit them, but basic cricket still applies.”

So Twenty20 is not just trying to smack the cover off the ball every delivery. It is exciting and faster than any other format. Crowds are more involved and they find it enjoyable, but it is also the most intense and, in some ways, most skilful form of the game. There is no margin of error, but it is innovative and tactical.

The use of spin-bowlers became an unexpected weapon, especially Ajantha Mendis and Shahid Afridi, but perhaps the biggest surprise of all was Aaron Redmond.

The Blocker?

He was in the right place at the right time. He had never played an international Twenty20 match before and until his shock call-up was playing in the Lancashire Leagues, but Aaron Redmond struck a vitally needed blow – several actually – against the knockers. His first innings was in the recent World Cup against Ireland – by far the best of the Associate Nations, which are members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but below Test playing countries.

Redmond’s innings of 63 without belligerent flamboyance was still the ideal Twenty20 knock, despite only facing 30 balls. His strike rate was 210. He took the match away from Ireland before they had even batted by giving his team the ideal platform that allowed the power-hitters, Martin Guptil, Scott Styris and Jacob Oram to go after the bowling while more than keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

He built an innings and scored consistently throughout it. Although he did not hit a six, his placement was superb, scoring thirteen of his team’s fifteen fours.

It caused gales of laughter. Would you consider playing in the IPL [Indian Premier League]? “Yes,” said Redmond. “Let them know.”

But why the laughter? This was a fantastic Twenty20 innings and if he can produce this consistently there is no reason why Aaron Redmond can’t take the IPL and Twenty20 by storm. This was an important knock as Redmond established once and for all that not only is there far more to Twenty20 cricket than a mad slog, but that batsmen with technique and placement, but not power, definitely have a place in this format as well.

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[1] This article was first published in the Magazine in 2009. It was originally not in two parts, but it has been split for the convenience of readers.

[2] Brook has been appointed England’s new captain for ODIs (one-day internationals) and Twenty20 matches. Brook had been Jos Buttler’s vice-captain. Buttler stepped down after England’s poor showing in the Champions Trophy in February 2025.