9 Aug 2010

Ryder given last chance - again

1:45 pm on 9 August 2010

Cricketer Jesse Ryder has been given another "last chance" by New Zealand Cricket and has been told his contract will be terminated if he steps out of line again.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan acknowledged Ryder has had last chances before, but said the talented cricketer is worth supporting through his off-field troubles.

Ryder has been fined and warned after a recent alcohol-fuelled disruption at a Christchurch hotel during an indoor cricket competition.

The incident is the sixth in two years that has led to a reprimand, but Mr Vaughan says this is the last warning and any serious misconduct will cost Ryder his contract.

He says each incident must be viewed in context, and the latest was not in the same league as Ryder's most serious transgression.

In 2008, Ryder stayed out drinking the night before a one-day international, then after the game smashed a toilet window at a Christchurch bar and hurled prolonged abuse at nursing staff treating his subsequent injuries.