Ryder draws attention of selectors

Jesse Ryder is making heads turn this season © Getty Images

Jesse Ryder, the promising Wellington batsman, is drawing further attention to his claims for a national call-up as two members of the national selection panel will be watching him bat at the Basin Reserve this week.

Ryder, 21, has been in the news following a superb start to the domestic season. Three days after John Bracewell, New Zealand's coach, reposed his trust in the struggling Craig McMillan, Vaughn Johnson, the Wellington coach, seemed to support this opinion by saying that Ryder was too raw to make the jump to international cricket. However, Bracewell and Glenn Turner, the former New Zealand great now acting as the team's batting specialist, are set to watch Wellington host Central Districts over the next four days. Their focus, it is believed, will solely be on Ryder.

With McMillan and Hamish Marshall woefully out of form, the selectors need to be on the look out for exciting talent, and Ryder apart, this match is set to throw up a few other questions for the future.

The Central District duo of Mathew Sinclair, who has represented his country, and Ross Taylor are two players who will look to impress Bracewell and Turner. James Franklin, the left-arm fast bowler, and Jacob Oram, New Zealand's allrounder, need to perform well with the ball. Franklin, with 35 one-day matches under his belt, will be looking to keep his name in the minds of the selectors, while Oram must reestablish his claims at being a successful bowler following a dismal run of late.

With scores of 133 against Canterbury and 79 against Otago, a good performance from Ryder at Wellington may effectively secure his prospects as far as the selectors are concerned. New Zealand host Sri Lanka for a five-match one-day series beginning December 31, and the selectors are to announce the 13-man squad on Friday.