Plenty of shots but no tequila for Ryder

Jesse Ryder's favourite shot is the pick-up over square leg, not tequila as some of his Wairarapa mates suggested in a cheeky banner at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday.

The Wellington rascal made 31 in his one-day international debut against England and was not only smiling after the six-wicket win with 20 overs to spare but also during it when he glanced around the stands holding 16,180 spectators.

"The banners cracked me up a bit when I was out there," Ryder said.

"`Jesse Ryder - favourite shot tequila' was the Wairarapa boys having me on and there was another good one, `Knight Ryder'."

Ryder, 23, is keen to shed the party-boy tag and be recognised for his cricket but you get the impression nothing would keep him awake at night, especially not his mates from over the hill pulling his leg.

Ryder hit four fours and a six in his 50-ball stay against England, a strong contribution in a match that never reached any heights, except when he and Brendon McCullum (42 from 42) were together in their 61-run opening stand.

Ryder's six over square leg from James Anderson's bowling was his trademark shot and was performed with all the ease of a man taking his dog for a stroll.

"The six was okay but it was good to get that first run. That got rid of the nerves," he said.

"It's been pretty unreal the last week or so, but this was the best. One-day debut in front of my home crowd and we won the game, which was the biggest thing."

The pitch was slow and not made for confident stroke-making, particularly when the ball lost its hardness. But Ryder possesses a good eye and undoubted power.

"I was disappointed to get out. I just didn't execute the shot right.

"I want to be more consistent, that is the big thing I'm working on for this series.

"Hopefully it goes well in the next match [tomorrow in Hamilton]."

Ryder has had a good look at the English bowling attack during the course of the past week and is yet another New Zealand batsman to nod his head about left-armer Ryan Sidebottom.

"They are pretty steady, Sidebottom is a decent bowler, quicker than he looks and [Stuart] Broad is not bad - he's got useful change-ups."

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori revealed after the easy win that he had never met Ryder or even seen him play before this series and had been impressed by both his dressing room manner and his undoubted batting ability.

"He's fitted in well," Vettori said.

"I'd never dealt with him before, never seen him play. He's a good player. He bats well, he bowls well and he fields well.

"Any time you have someone like that come into your team it's a positive."

For his part, Ryder says he is just going with the flow and does not feel bogged down by the pressure and constant media demands since his left-field selection.

"I was hoping Daniel Flynn would stay in the team so he could be the new boy in the team doing the media," he said. "But I'm just cruising, you know me. It's early days so I'm just learning. I'm enjoying it but the lads at the club [Naenae Old Boys] seem to be just about enjoying it more than me."

Ryder featured on the front page of the Sunday Star Times yesterday, a bat sponsor's dream. But typically of his uncomplicated nature, he had not bothered to look at the picture. "The boys say it's a good picture but I've not seen it," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News