Fat, and with a Cricket Bat

For a while, there has been a cricketer in New Zealand that has shown extreme promise and talent at the provincial level of the game.

Now now, before you roll your eyes and go "Oh my god, cricket is SOOOOOOO BORING", hear me out. This post is about as full of cricket as an apple pie.

I begin again, in the hope that I have retained your interest after my assurance of Not About Cricket-ness.

For a while, there has been a cricketer in New Zealand that has shown extreme promise and talent at the provincial level of the game. And with a large number of cricketers nearing retirement in recent years, there has been a gargantuan number of players rotated in and out of the team trying to find the perfect blend. Or not even a perfect blend, just a blend that works well. Dammit, I'm thinking about coffee now.

Anyway! There was a lot of attention drawn to why this young man, Jesse Ryder, was not selected to represent New Zealand. He hasn't been a talent merely recently, but for a few years now. Check out this excerpt from an article back in 2005, leading up to the final of the New Zealand provincial competition between Auckland and Wellington (Wellington being Ryder's team).

Auckland might be defending champions and have home-ground advantage, but Wellington have one thing on their side - the hottest domestic cricketer in the country.

Jesse Ryder, the destructive left-hand middle-order batsman, has been named Deloitte Domestic Cricketer of the Month for March.

In the final three rounds of the State Championship, Ryder scored 370 runs at an average of 74. This included his highest first-class score, an outstanding 236 against former team Central Districts.

...

Everyone knows Ryder can bat, particularly late in the season when the pitches finally see a bit of sun and act as they?re supposed to, but his form with the ball has been encouraging as Wellington seek the outright victory over Auckland they?ll require to defend their State Championship title.

In the past month he?s taken 10 wickets in three matches at an average of 12.2 with best figures of 4 for 23 versus Otago in the final round of the competition.

[Source: New Zealand Herald - emphasis mine]

If this was how good his form was nearly 3 freaking years ago, think about how much he's improved since then.

So there was exasperation in cricketing circles as to why he wasn't being selected for the New Zealand team, since the talent was undeniable. But while everyone in the cricketing community could see the talent, they couldn't see his off field work ethic.

I know you don't believe that this post is feeling a bit out of place on a weight loss blog, but bear with me, there is a point to all of this.

Ryder had a reputation for being a bit of a drinker, a party animal; on one occasion choosing to attend a party in favour of a training camp for an Academy side (I think it was an Academy side? I don't want any cricketing folk stumbling on by here and going "YOU LYING!!!". I couldn't find any articles that highlighted exactly which team was holding the training camp.) The most publicised incident was when Ryder was contracted to play in Ireland as an overseas professional.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons is unlikely to select Jesse Ryder for his team again after he failed to turn up for Sunday's game against Surrey.

...

"I received a text message that he had missed his flight and have heard nothing since," said Simmons.

"It's not acceptable to me, and I don't think he'll play for Ireland again."

The 22-year-old Ryder had been playing for New Brighton in the Liverpool League before signing as an overseas professional for Ireland earlier this month.

[Source: BBC.co.uk]

I don't know about you, but if I were representing a team and I got stranded somewhere, I would offer more than a bleeding TEXT MESSAGE to my coach. In fact, I can imagine myself ringing the coach up in desperation, blubbing and snot faced all like OMMA GAWESH WHAT AMMI GONNA DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?!?!?! and do anything to get there as soon as possible.

As far as everyone was concerned, it was Ryder's selfish behaviour that meant he wasn't a contender for New Zealand.

People in cricket circles have tried everything with Jesse from tough-love to pandering to his excesses, recognising that he came from a difficult background, recognising that he had a precocious talent.

Mark Greatbatch took him under his wing at Central Districts, took him into his home. He got him up in the mornings and got him fit to play cricket. But when Greatbatch was forced to drop Ryder after he betrayed his trust and got on the turps before a match, Jesse did another thing he's very good at - he ran away, to Wellington. Central Districts didn't want him to go but at least officials there can take comfort in the fact it is those wearing Wellington blazers who are now cleaning up his messes.

[Source: New Zealand Herald]

That incident was in May 2007, and since then, Ryder has grown up as a player. He grew in maturity under his Wellington coach, and his improving off field ethic and approach to the game and his team mates justified his recent selection in the current cricket series between New Zealand and England.

But then! Newspapers and Radio stations across the country suddenly start buzzing with the newspaper column of a former New Zealand cricketer.

Adam Parore: Ryder is too fat to play for New Zealand

Now just HANG ON A MINUTE there!

If that headline didn't enrage me enough, here's an excerpt from that fateful column:

He's too fat. He's in no fit state to play for New Zealand and if I was still in the national side, I wouldn't want him in my dressing room.

He claims to have lost 10kg, in which case you can only wonder what shape he was in before that.

This selection sends a poor message to other players. There is an implication that fitness parameters only apply to some players.


The days of picking Jock Edwards-types are over. Or David Boon, the tubby Tasmanian, for that matter.

Boon was a fine batsman, and an exception to the rule. But those guys are the dinosaurs and have no place in the modern international game.

Then you consider Ryder's off-field track record, his problems with discipline and alcohol. He says they're in the past and good luck to him, but I wouldn't have him there until he'd tidied his act up physically for a start.

[Source: New Zealand Herald - emphasis mine].

I can tell you, my blood pressure absolutely skyrocketed when I heard about this column. And I was in even worse shape when I read the thing for myself.

His being overlooked in the past is nothing to do with his size, but rather, that he was a bit of a plonker off the field. Does the fact that this guy has worked solidly at his game and has been playing in New Zealand for YEARS not suggest that maybe, just maybe, he might actually be FIT?

I mean, SO WHAT if his physique is different to that of other players? If he can bat well, bowl well, and keep a quick pace all day, then what on earth does his physical appearance have to do with his ability to play?

Cricket is a game of skill. You can be the fastest runner, the strongest weightlifter, the speediest swimmer - it's not going to make you a more skillful cricketer. If I gave freaking Ian Thorpe a cricket bat and told him "GO! PLAY!", it wouldn't happen.

You can't make any assumptions about someone's fitness by looking at their physique - that is a message that the fat acceptance community has trying to vocalise. I've been told by many people over the last year that I should 'consider exercising'. To all of you who have been reader of my blog for a while, you'll know that this is an absolute laugh. Meanwhile, other people I know are incredibly thin, but get flustered and bothered by a short walk. That's not going to say that there aren't thin people who are fit nor there aren't fat people who are unfit - but by god, Jesse Ryder is not one of those people.

In fact, I applaud the New Zealand selectors for looking past the fat prejudice that is rampant and selecting him on his talent and skill which New Zealand deserves to have on show.

Jesse Ryder? You the man.