The troubled New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder is in intensive care in a Christchurch hospital with a fractured skull and serious internal injuries after being attacked outside a bar on Wednesday.
Ryder, a hard-hitting 28-year-old batsman who has played 18 Tests, 39 one-day internationals and 20 Twenty20 internationals, had been due to fly to India to join Delhi Daredevils, his latest Premier League franchise. Instead his family were heading for his bedside after an incident that followed a one-day game for Wellington against Canterbury in Christchurch.
Ryder had been at the bar with Wellington team-mates. A statement on the New Zealand police website read: 'Police are investigating an incident at a bar in Merivale in the early hours of this morning. Police can confirm the incident did involve Jesse Ryder and that he is currently in Christchurch hospital.'
Eyewitnesses said Ryder was attacked by four men outside a bar in the Christchurch suburb. CCTV pictures reportedly suggest the incident was unprovoked and that Ryder was punched and kicked repeatedly while lying on the ground.
Four men, believed to be in their late 20s, allegedly started hitting Ryder in the bar's outdoor courtyard and the fight was pushed out on to the road. 'Four dudes were just laying into him and absolutely smashing him on the ground,' said a witness who had been in the bar. 'His shirt was ripped off and they were kicking him and punching him while he was down.'
Ryder managed to stand up during the attack but was quickly knocked back to the ground, the witness added, and they 'damn knew who he was'. The attackers were reportedly swearing at Ryder as they beat him and ran off when police sirens were heard.
New Zealand Cricket said its chief executive David White, Peter Clinton from Cricket Wellington, Heath Mills from the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association and Ryder's manager Aaron Klee were flying to Christchurch. 'We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse. New Zealand Cricket's thoughts are with him and his family,' White said. The four are likely to hold a press briefing once they have ascertained the facts.
St John Ambulance confirmed to TVNZ that two ambulances responded to an alleged assault at 12.34am in the morning. 'We transported to Christchurch hospital ED under lights and sirens one patient, a male, aged in his 20s, with very serious head injuries,' St John Ambulance said.
It is more than a year since Ryder's last international appearance and he dabbled with boxing in June 2012, when he knocked out the radio presenter Mark Watson with a left hook in the first round of a fight shown live on NZ pay-per-view TV.
Brendon McCullum seemed to raise the possibility of a recall when he took over as New Zealand captain late last year, when Ryder was in prolific form for Wellington, but the batsman made himself unavailable for the one-day and t20 matches against England last month.
In February 2008, in the aftermath of a one-day series win against England, Ryder cut a hand trying to break into a toilet in a Christchurch bar, an injury that required surgery and which kept him out of the game for several months.
He has also been reprimanded for turning up to training under the influence after a heavy drinking session and was censured again by NZC last year after he was involved in a verbal altercation with bar patrons in Napier. He had missed a game against South Africa while injured but breached team protocol about abstaining from alcohol.
Ryder then admitted he had a drink problem and announced he was taking an indefinite break from internationals, although he went on to play for Pune Warriors in the IPL but was accompanied to India by a psychologist and his manager.
A post on New Zealand Cricket's official Twitter read: 'The whole NZC team's thoughts are with DijaRyder this morning.' The New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor tweeted: 'Thinking of you mate DijaRyder.'
Klee wrote on his Twitter page: 'thanks for the calls and msgs of support for Jesse. Just heading to Chch to see him'.
The former England captain Michael Vaughan added his support via Twitter: 'Devastating news regarding Jesse Ryder... Just hope he can pull through... Thoughts are with him and his family...'
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