Jesse Ryder has never had it easy

Jesse Ryder is like one of those football players whose behaviour you can never understand — he gets picked for his country, travels the world, can decimate a bowling attack on his day, he knows the tricks of the game and he has always shown promise. But, he also drinks and has been called ‘fat’. You don’t see too many like Ryder in the ‘Gentleman’s Game’, and after today’s bar brawl which has left him with a collapsed lung and a fractured skull, you may never see one. [caption id=“attachment_677369” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  You don’t see too many like Ryder in the ‘Gentleman’s Game’. Getty Images[/caption] There’s no doubt that Ryder is a good player. He’s had his ups and downs in the game, but he is easily one of the most explosive and entertaining batsmen around. However, he has courted controversy in equal measure and that has always overshadowed his ability as a play. While first hand accounts say that the latest attack on Ryder ’looked unprovoked’, the burly batsman has on occasions gone looking for trouble too. Here’s looking back at some of the most unsavoury moments in his career. - In 2008, Ryder tried to punch his way into a bar toilet through the window. He subsequently needed stitches in his hand and was out of the game for several months. - In January 2009, Ryder broke team protocol and indulged in a late night drinking session while in the team for a series against West Indies. This resulted in him missing the team meeting the next morning. He was also in no state to train in the afternoon. Ryder was dropped for the following ODI. - Ryder didn’t have a great IPL that year, and despite promising to go cold turkey, New Zealand media reported that he had got back to drinking after being off alcohol for 100 days. - In October 2009, Ryder scored a 50 in just 28 balls against Sri Lanka, but after he was eventually out (for 74), he vented his frustration by whacking a chair with his bat. He was fined 15% of his match fee for abusing ground equipment. But it wasn’t over there. Team manager Dave Currie gave Ryder a dressing down, and Ryder hurled back abuse — for which he was charged by the NZ Cricket board. - Ryder was reprimanded by NZC last year after he and Doug Bracewell were involved in a verbal altercation with bar patrons in Napier. - After a series of alcohol related disciplinary issues, Ryder voluntarily stood down from international selection in January 2013.