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Jesse Ryder misses fourth ODI

Jesse Ryder will miss the fourth one-day international against West Indies in Wellington on Saturday because of "inadequate preparation"

Cricinfo staff
09-Jan-2009

Jesse Ryder: "I thought I had reached the point where I could control my drinking better, but that is obviously not the case" © Getty Images
 
New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder will miss the fourth one-day international against West Indies in Wellington on Saturday because of "inadequate preparation". Ryder missed a team meeting on Thursday morning and was unable to train in the afternoon after a late night of drinking.
Ryder was fined after a disciplinary hearing for missing both the meeting and training. New Zealand have called up Mathew Sinclair as a replacement and he will bat at No 3.
"We are all disappointed that this has happened. Since February last year, we have witnessed encouraging signs from Jesse both on and off the park," Justin Vaughan, chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, said. "These vast improvements meant Jesse was recently given more latitude in his personal decision making. In hindsight, this was premature. However while it is a drinking-related issue, it does not compare with last February in its severity."
In February, Ryder had put his hand through a window while trying to gain access to a toilet area that had been accidentally locked. The injury occurred in Christchurch the morning after New Zealand's ODI series win against England and it later emerged that he was also out drinking until 1.30am on the eve of a game. He had to undergo surgery and was sidelined until September.
Ryder apologised to his team-mates at training for his latest indiscretion. "I have not only let myself down, but also my team-mates, support team and the cricket fans in general," Ryder said. "I thought I had reached the point where I could control my drinking better, but that is obviously not the case.
"I am only now starting to appreciate the size of the challenge that I face. I am totally committed to overcoming this problem and understand I will have to work even harder with the support group around me."
The five-ODI series against West Indies is currently level at 1-1.