May 28, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 22, 1429

MANCHESTER, May 27: New Zealand have been dealt another injury blow after Jesse Ryder, their hard-hitting opening batsman, was ruled out of the one-day series against England.

He has failed to recover from severing his tendon when he put his hand through a toilet window in Christchurch.

Ryder made a big impression against England in February when his 196 runs at 49 — at a strike-rate of 91 — were a key part of New Zealand’s series victory. It was while he was celebrating the win that he injured himself, and he later gave a remorseful press conference.

It was always going to be touch and go for Ryder and he has only started hitting soft balls again in the nets this week. His place in the one-day squad goes to Peter Fulton, while Ryder will now join New Zealand’s Emerging Players squad over the next few months, with the aim of being fit for the Champions Trophy in September.

“He feels it probably more with catching than anything else, in particular reverse cup where it seems to go straight through to the nerve, so he finds that increasingly uncomfortable,” coach John Bracewell said on Tuesday.

“We’ve decided to ease back on him and bring him back through the emerging players programme, and looking towards the Champions Trophy, introduce him through some lower key cricket and get him more cricket fit.” —Agencies