“I felt that I could be one of the top batters in the world, but I didn’t get the chance”- New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder’s reflections on his career

“I felt that I could be one of the top batters in the world, but I didn’t get the chance”- New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder’s reflections on his career

New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder felt that he could be one of the top batters in the world had the management given him an opportunity. He is currently representing the Black Caps at the men’s indoor cricket World Cup in Australia. 

“There’s a period there where I was two years sober and I tried to get back in the team and they didn’t give me an opportunity,” Ryder told the Code Sports website. 

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“That was my period where I was actually dominating domestic outdoor cricket and I wanted to have one more crack while I had such a good mindset. I felt that I could be one of the top batters in the world, but I didn’t get the chance. In my younger years, I was a wild child but I’ve chilled out a bit.

“Being in the spotlight wasn’t my thing. Outdoor cricket always had a lot of other pressures. The media always got a hold of me. It got to a point that I couldn’t really be bothered anymore,” he added. 

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Jesse Ryder’s career was plagued by alcohol and behavior issues

Jesse Ryder
Jesse Ryder

Jesse Ryde’s career was plagued by alcohol and behavior issues. He was assaulted outside a bar in Christchurch in 2013 and immediately admitted to a hospital. After his recovery, he played his last international match in January 2014. 

Although New Zealand would have included him in the 2015 World Cup squad, the then coach Mike Hesson made it clear that Jesse needed to make some changes in his behavior.

“We made it pretty clear what we wanted to see from Jesse in terms of some improvements in his behaviour…we need to see changes and we haven’t seen that yet,” Hesson had stated.

Jesse ended up playing 18 Tests, 48 ODIs, and 22 T20Is for New Zealand. In his first-class career, he scored 25 centuries in 131 matches, averaging 45.

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