New Zealand opening batsman Jesse Ryder abused hospital staff while receiving treatment for a cut hand suffered in a barroom incident early on Sunday morning, New Zealand Cricket said.
Ryder, who will be sidelined by his injury for three months, will write letters of apology to hospital staff, a bar owner and New Zealand teammates and will do charity work to atone for his misbehaviour, team manager Lindsay Crocker added.
The 23-year-old batsman, who made his international debut and played all five of New Zealand’s recent limited overs matches against England, suffered a badly cut hand when he broke a glass panel to gain access to a locked toilet at a Christchurch bar around 5.30am local time on Sunday.
Ryder underwent surgery on the injury later that day and is expected to regain full use of his hand after a three-month rehabilitation.
Crocker arrived at Christchurch hospital on Sunday morning after hearing of the barroom incident and witnessed some of Ryder’s behaviour.
”I heard him being disrespectful to a staff member there,” Crocker said. ”I ticked him off immediately and from then on he seemed OK.”
Crocker said hospital staff told him Ryder had been abusive throughout his stay in the emergency department.
”That’s clearly unacceptable, so I’ve talked to him about that as well,” he said.
Ryder would apologise to the owner of the bar in which his injury occurred and pay for the damage he caused, Crocker said.
”He’s aware of my disappointment. He’s under no illusions in that regard. But we don’t intend imposing any further punishment upon him,” he said.
”We feel as though he’s suffered sufficient penalty in that regard.”
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said his organisation would work with Ryder to improve his behaviour.
”We have to come up with ways to help Jesse through this,” Vaughan said. ”He’s had a lot of work done on him in the past.” — Sapa-AP