The Crowd Goes Wild's Mark Richardson and Andrew Mulligan discuss the pros and cons of having Jesse Ryder return to the Black Caps.
Pros
This is a World Cup year and in a World Cup year how can you turn your back on a total and utter match-winner, and especially in that troublesome opening batting spot. So what if he's a bit disruptive, so what if he drinks too much - beer drinking, disruptive, difficult characters, the game of cricket was made for them. Jesse Ryder cannot only do a great job as an opener but he also helps everyone do their jobs. He will take the scoring rate pressure off Martin Guptill and allow him to get established and he will also enhance the restrictive qualities of both Dan Vettori and Nathan McCullum because he will pop in and take a wicket or two. Ryder has that wicket-taking X-factor, something this team needs in the middle overs. Don't tell me Jesse Ryder is not a team player. - Mark Richardson
Cons
Jesse Ryder is not a team player. He is not a team player because the protocols and conditions set down by the team he has expressed interest in playing for again are so far not being met. What exactly they are we can only speculate, but this Black Caps unit are strong and have lived without him and we'll have to do the same. I'd love to see him at the World Cup and I shake my head to think he won't be there but they can't afford a "Dagg-Jane" distraction during the campaign. The myth of Botham et al getting up to mischief would now be trending in a matter of minutes and his type would never survive in today's sports media landscape. Sad but true. Andrew Mulligan
