What to do about Jesse Ryder?

Sports Talk - By JOSEPH ROMANOS - The Wellingtonian

OPINION: New Zealand are playing their first cricket test of the season this week, against Pakistan in Dunedin, and once again Jesse Ryder is missing from the lineup.

Ryder, who has become the infant terrible of New Zealand cricket, is still injured and his return is some way off.

The talented left-hander presents a considerable problem for cricket officials.

He had trouble when he represented Central Districts, so he moved to Wellington, where he again periodically ran into trouble, even being suspended on one occasion.

Much of it centred around his alcohol consumption, but there were also problems with lack of discipline and an inability to present himself the way an international player should.

Despite all this, he was belatedly given an opportunity to play for New Zealand.

While his output in both limited-overs and test cricket has been good, there have been several further discipline problems.

After one, he was put on final warning by New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan.

That proved to be merely an empty threat. Ryder has continued causing problems, including falling out with Black Caps manager Dave Currie, and not training as he should, yet remains in the frame for the New Zealand team.

Currie has told the New Zealand board of his concerns, but these appear to have been largely shrugged off.

The suspicion, too, is that some of Ryder's injury woes are because he is generally overweight and unfit.

For a while we hoped he would be like the Shane Warne of the New Zealand team – periodic bouts of bad publicity and ill-discipline off the field, but a consummate performer on it.

Instead he's more like former England footballer Paul Gascoigne – a talented player whose personal problems blighted his career and eventually consumed him.

New Zealand Cricket has tried hard with Ryder. He's had mentors, advisers, motivational experts, fitness trainers and others assigned to help him, yet he continues to have problems.

It doesn't pay to be too lofty about all this. I imagine New Zealand coach Daniel Vettori (yes, the same man who is the captain and selection panel spokesman) would love to have a fit Ryder back in the ranks as soon as possible.

It's not as if the New Zealand batting lineup is brimming with players of Ryder's talent.

But the suspicion persists that once Ryder returns, we'll already be counting down to the next debacle.

What do to? Cut him adrift? Issue a final, final warning?

My feeling is that Ryder needs to start again.

He is presently being given the royal treatment, and is fairly much assured of New Zealand selection as soon as he is declared fit.

He surely needs to go away and put some spadework in – try to admit to, then deal with, his alcohol problems and regain his Black Caps spot with some hard work and a decent attitude.

Otherwise the Ryder rollercoaster ride will continue, and soon enough there'll be another bout of headlines such as we've seen over the past few days.

MEXTED DECISION APPALLING

Sky Television's recent decision to suspend Wellington rugby commentator Murray Mexted was a sad indication of where some strands of the New Zealand media are heading.

Former All Black Mexted, a colourful and opinionated observer of rugby (which is presumably why Sky hired him in the first place) was stood down because he criticised the New Zealand union's intention to cull four teams from the national first division championship.

On this occasion Mexted was right – why would the rugby union want to undermine the game in heartland areas such as Manawatu, Northland and Nelson-Marlborough?

But regardless, the Mexted decision was a disgrace.

Do Sky Television and the rugby union want only commentators who offer undiluted praise?

What if a coach, a player, an official, a referee, a union, gets it wrong? Who can point that out? Not Sky Television, that's for sure.

It's in too snuggly with the rugby union.