3 biggest controversies involving Jesse Ryder

A player who was once touted as the Virender Sehwag of New Zealand cricket, Jesse Ryder turned 39 on August 6. Despite possessing huge potential with the bat, he couldn't fully utilize his skills at the international level.

His batting gave New Zealand Cricket a boost in all formats, but his off-field behavior cut short what could have been a great career. He got to represent New Zealand in only 88 matches, for which he has mostly himself to blame.

Over the years, Jesse Ryder was often in the news not for his on-field actions but for his weight issues and off-field behavior problems, making him controversy's favorite child.

In this article, we are going to look back at the three biggest controversies from Jesse Ryder's unfulfilled career.

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#3 Getting dropped due to fighting and drinking habits

Jesse Ryder, who had just missed earning an Ireland contract, decided to ply his trade playing club cricket in England and was extremely successful. He considered playing for English counties full-time and representing England as both of his grandfathers were British.

However, destiny had other plans, as in February 2008, he made his international debut for New Zealand in an ODI series, that too against England. He scored 31 off 50 deliveries against the likes of Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson.

After the ODI series though, Ryder got involved in a bar brawl, where he injured his hand and also verbally abused a medical staff member. This led to a three-month ban that delayed his Test debut.

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#2 Brawl and bar incidents

In 2013, Ryder got into a brawl with two people in a bar in Christchurch and was brutally assaulted. He was brought to the hospital in critical condition and it was reported that he suffered a fractured skull and a collapsed lung. The Kiwi cricketer was in a medically-induced coma.

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#1 Positive Dope Test

Jesse Ryder found himself in huge controversy in 2013 when he got banned for six months after testing positive for a banned substance.

Ryder, who was notorious for his excessive alcoholism, was slapped with a suspension by the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand. He tested positive for two prohibited substances contained in the weight-loss product Gaspari Detonate.