Ryder's talent will be tested against Australia

Jesse Ryder tends to get more attention and column space on his weight, rather than his cricket. But John Wright has publicly backed the batsman, saying that he is capable of getting the team runs. The upcoming series against Australia will be Ryder's chance to prove his coach right, writes Mark Reason in the Dominion Post.

"Not bad for a fat lad," was how Freddie Flintoff, rolling around in his Lancashire vowels, famously defined one of his early swashbuckling efforts for England. But will Jesse Ryder be able to boast as much after the upcoming matches in Australia? Will we hear: "I'm the rock hard tub of lard" after a double century or will the fat boy melt away in the heat of Brisbane and Hobart?