Jesse Ryder set to return against England U-19

Jesse Ryder, the New Zealand batsman, is set to make a comeback after recovering from an abductor strain that he aggravated during the Champions Trophy in South Africa. Ryder will appear for Wellington A in a practice game against the England Under-19 team which is in New Zealand for the Youth World Cup. This is a significant step in Ryder's recovery from an injury that has troubled him since the Indian Premier League in March 2009.

Gavin Larsen, the chief executive of Cricket Wellington, said, "He's progressing well. He's getting fitter and stronger by the day. We're treating this as just another step, albeit a significant one, in his recovery."

Larsen said that he was keen to ease Ryder into action slowly. He said that while the authorities were anxious to have Ryder participating in the HRV Cup soon, they were "really conscious of not wanting to go back to square one". Ryder will bat with the assistance of a runner and will not take the field during the game, in a recovery plan which is part of a programme negotiated between Wellington and New Zealand Cricket (NZC).

NZC physiotherapist Kate Stalker viewed the match as an opportunity for Ryder to check if the injury had improved sufficiently to let him bat for an extended period of time. "Hopefully this will help him build up some batting endurance," Stalker said. "Jesse is progressing well, but until he has completed his rehabilitation and has passed a range of intensive fitness tests he will not be available for full selection for Wellington."