Ryder's toughest comeback
29-Oct-2013
Seven months after being in a life-threatening coma follow an savage assault in Christchurch, then, after waking up, learning he failed a drugs test, Jesse Ryder is back at the crease. And in some style; a hundred in his first innings of the season for Otago, against his former side Wellington. Andy Bull, writing for the Guardian's Spin column, looks back at Ryder's turbulent past and what might be ahead.
Ryder says he wants to play for New Zealand again. His last match was in February 2012, when he was dropped after he went out for a drink with Doug Bracewell when the pair were both recovering from minor injuries. He said he had been "hung out to dry", and quit cricket for personal reasons. The suggestion was that he felt he wanted to deal with his drinking problem, something which he says he has done.