Cricket: Returning Ryder to hold similar portfolio

Jesse Ryder (centre) playing for the Central Districts Stags last season.

Jesse Ryder will be the cherry on the Central Districts Stags' cake again this summer.

"Jesse is in talks with Essex right now on where his future lies," says CD coach Heinrich Malan of the former Black Cap who will emulate last summer when he played only white-ball cricket.

The 31-year-old last summer almost missed the entire twenty20 campaign following pains and strains before contributing in the one-day competition.

However, the William Young-captained Stags will welcome the former Napier Boys' High School pupil in the Plunket Shield four-day campaign should Essex spurn his advances in county cricket in England.

"It's his career so he has to make those decisions so let's see how that pans out," says Malan of Ryder who had reportedly harboured ambitions at the end of last summer here to return to the fold of New Zealand coach Mike Hesson.

Among CD's contracted 13 is last season's Canterbury left-arm seamer Ryan McCone who played in all three formats of the game for the Kings.

The 28-year-old is in an online business partnership for the past 18 months with newly contracted Black Cap George Worker, who played a couple of seasons with the Kings before returning to roost with CD.

"They are pretty good mates so Ryan approached us off season so we had a chat on how he fits into our structure and adds depth to our bowling stocks," he says.

The other Stags with Black Caps contracts are Ross Taylor, Doug Bracewell and Adam Milne.

Malan says the remaining two contracts, to be sealed by July 12, will mean players such as Dean Robinson, Navin Patel, Bevan Small, Liam Dudding and Kurt Richards will have the chance to put their hand up to see where they fit in the balance of the team from the greater squad.

He welcomes and awaits the arrival of new CD CEO Pete de Wet later this month.

"I have never met him but I've spoken to a few friends and got some really good reports on his Sunfoil Dolphins' role and how he's a straight shooter so he's a hard worker and he'll fit our culture," says Malan of the fellow South African who replaces interim CEO Chris Lander.

2016-17 contracts:

The Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags offered first round men's domestic cricket contracts for the coming summer:

• Tom Bruce
• Dane Cleaver (wkt)
• Greg Hay
• Marty Kain
• Andrew Mathieson
• Ryan McCone
• Ajaz Patel
• Seth Rance
• Jesse Ryder
• Ben Smith
• Blair Tickner
• Ben Wheeler
• William Young (c).

NB: The contracting process involves two rounds, with second-round offers to be completed on July 12 to make a quota of 15 for each major association.