On Wednesday night, in a small suburb of Christchurch, burly Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder was brutally assaulted by at least two men as he was leaving a bar. When reports last came in, Ryder is in the intensive care unit of a hospital, having suffered an induced coma, a fractured skull and a collapsed lung.
In 2008, Ryder was chosen in the 12-man Twenty20 squad and the 13-man ODI squad to play England. Former New Zealand wicket-keeper Adam Parore slammed this decision, saying Ryder was "fat" and "unfit".
The 28-year-old Wellington native is a powerhouse left-handed Kiwi opener, who made his ODI debut in a five-match series against England in January 2008. Scoring 196 runs at an average of 49 in the England series suggested that Ryder had a future in the New Zealand setup - and an explosive one at that.
During an evening of drinking after New Zealand won the series against England, he put his fist through a glass window in a bar in Christchurch. It was revealed that Ryder was rude to the hospital staff who treated his hand injury.
Despite that, the selectors rewarded him with a central contract for the 2008-09 season. Ryder's problems with alcoholism did not go away though!
On January 7 2009, Ryder indulged in a "late night drinking session" after the 3rd ODI against the West Indies in Wellington. Ryder missed a team meeting the following morning and was unable to train in the afternoon. He was subsequently dropped for the 4th ODI in the five-match series.
Yet, Ryder has shown potential with the bat. In 18 Test matches, he has scored 1269 runs and has 1100 runs in One Day Internationals. Along the way he has developed a fancy for India as well!
When India toured New Zealand in 2009, Ryder impressed in the five ODIs, scoring 225 runs at an average of 56.25. It was in the Test matches that Ryder lived up to his billing. His maiden Test century at Hamilton was followed up by a double-century at Napier. All three of Ryder's Test centuries have come against the Indian bowling attack.
In 2009-10, Ryder's injury and alcohol problems resurfaced. During the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa, he was dropped from the squad for "abusing cricket equipment", to which he responded with a 'tirade' of abuse. He couldn't tour Sri Lanka in August 2010 due to an elbow injury which was followed by yet another misconduct charge for intoxication.
On March 8, 2012, Ryder decided to take an indefinite break from international cricket, which has lasted ever since. Ryder has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore and Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League. In 29 IPL matches, he has scored 604 runs at a healthy strike rate of 131.88. Ryder was due to join up with his new franchise Delhi Daredevils, before the incident in Christchurch.