WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – Police have arrested and charged a 20-year-old man in connection with the assault on New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder that has left the batsman in a critical condition in a Christchurch hospital.
New Zealand Police (NZP) said the man had been charged with assault yesterday and would appear in court on April 4.
Police were following “positive lines of inquiry” in relation to another person, NZP said in a statement yesterday.
Ryder, 28, was rushed to hospital early on Thursday after being involved in two altercations with up to three men outside a bar and fast food restaurant in Merivale, a suburb of Christchurch.
Local media reported Ryder had a fractured skull and a collapsed lung. He was still listed in a critical condition yesterday.
Ryder had been expected to travel to India for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament with the Delhi Daredevils this week.
He had been in a self-imposed exile from international cricket after a series of alcohol-related incidents.
Despite publicly swearing off alcohol, Ryder had begun drinking again in recent weeks, the New Zealand players’ association chief said yesterday.
Police told reporters yesterday that they did not think alcohol a factor in the alleged assault.
Ryder was not expected to return to international cricket until New Zealand’s tour of England in May-June, following their 0-0 draw in the recently completed home test series.
An aggressive batsman with a superb eye and delicate touch, Ryder has made 1,269 runs in 18 tests at an average of 40.93 with a highest score of 201 and 1,100 runs in 39 one-day internationals at 34.37.
