Jesse Ryder's big-hitting exploits across the Tasman have attracted some heavy attention in the Australian media.
The left-hander smashed a world record-equalling 16 sixes on the final day of New Zealand's tour match with Australia A yesterday, scoring 175 from 137 balls in the drawn match. But Ryder's size drew almost equal coverage in this morning's papers, with many pointing out his impressive innings came on the back of a column from a New Zealand journalist questioning whether Ryder's weight detracted from his performance.
A story in the Sydney Morning Herald was headlined "Fat chance: Ryder rubbishes critics with record haul of sixes'', with the author going on to say, "Declared too fat for Test cricket by some, Jesse Ryder certainly knows how to throw his weight around''.
The girth-related puns continued to flow in Brisbane's Courier Mail, which went with the headline of "A six gun says, fat chance of cakewalk''. The article then describes Ryder as a "plus-sized batsman who former Kiwi gloveman Adam Parore once claimed was too fat to play cricket''.
The Australian, resisting the chance to make it three papers from three using the 'fat chance' gag, instead chose "Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder takes a weight off his mind''.
