New Zealand allrounder Jesse Ryder's latest alcohol-related misdemeanor has resulted in him being axed for Saturday's one-day international against the West Indies at Eden Park.
New Zealand Cricket officials said Friday that Ryder slept through a team meeting before the side left for Auckland on Thursday. He was unable to train later in the day, forcing team management to take disciplinary action.
The suspension comes 11 months after Ryder's well-publicized night out in Christchurch which culminated in him reportedly abusing hospital staff treating a hand gashed when he punched the toilet door window of an inner city bar.
Ryder apologized to the team at training Friday.
"I have not only let myself down, but also my teammates, support team and the cricket fans in general," he said in a statement. "I thought I had reached the point where I could control my drinking better, but that is obviously not the case. I am only now starting to appreciate the size of the challenge that I face.
"I am totally committed to overcoming this problem and understand I will have to work even harder with the support group around me."
His place in the lineup has been taken by Mathew Sinclair.
NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said the organization had to continue working with Ryder to address his drinking problem.
"There have been some positive signs and we shouldn't forget that," Vaughan said. "In the last few months there's been many good things Jesse's been doing training-wise and his behavioral aspects but this is a setback.
"Once again we need to ensure the management systems are around him but at the end there is a degree of personal responsibility. He accepts he has a problem and he has to work even harder to try and overcome it."
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