David Leggat: Over-eager Ryder adds to list of injury woes

It almost sneaked by, given it happened the day before Good Friday. More important business was at hand.

Holidays were being planned, Easter eggs being bought. But in any case, anyone who heard the news should not have been hugely surprised.

Jesse Ryder's dicky body appeared to have let him down again. This time, he tweaked his groin bowling for Wellington against Otago at the Basin Reserve.

And that means his name can be added to the other four players with fitness questions hovering over them before the world Twenty20 championship starting in the Caribbean on April 30.

The early word is that it's not serious, which makes a change in the case of the burly lefthander.

He has just completed surgery to strengthen his abdominal wall. The injury dates back to the Champions Trophy in South Africa in September, from which came a five-month layoff before he returned to club cricket, then Wellington's final Plunket Shield game.

Ryder immediately hit a century against Otago, before being undone in his first over of medium pacers.

The thumping sound emanating from within the corridors of New Zealand Cricket will have been fists banging on tables. Ryder bowled 10 overs for his club on his return a few weeks ago. He wasn't supposed to be bowling at all.

The message from the medical staff has been one of patience. His fitness was at pre-season standard. Walk, don't run, they said. It would take time.

But Ryder is like the kid locked in the sweet shop and told to touch nothing for a couple of hours. No chance. Let's assume he is fit and ready for the Twenty20.

The four others needing to prove their health before departure are fast-medium pair Kyle Mills and Ian Butler, batsman Aaron Redmond and allrounder Jacob Oram.

Mills, recovering from shoulder and knee surgery, was bowling at the New Zealand batsmen in the nets before the second test against Australia in Hamilton.

Butler and Redmond are playing in the national club finals in Auckland next week; Oram, who tumbled to ground in the field in the opening ODI against Australia at Napier, is working out with national coach Mark Greatbatch in Hawkes Bay.

Hopes are high that all will be ready to travel to Queensland on April 18 for a warmup programme. A glance at the squad of 15 suggests a decent balance with cover in all aspects.

A possible first choice 11 - Brendon McCullum, Ryder, Guptill, Taylor, Styris, Hopkins, Vettori, Oram, Southee, Mills and Bond - should be highly competitive.

No player around the country could put his hand up and maintain he'd been hard done by in missing selection.

New Zealand's games are in Guyana, Barbados and St Lucia. Intelligence gathering suggests they will want depth in the spin/slow medium bowling, hence versatile Rob Nicol's inclusion to bolster the spin section and give batting cover.

Australia showed up New Zealand's test deficiencies, but this form is more to our liking.

That should be borne out - providing fitness tests are passed.