No international return yet for Ryder

Jesse Ryder has ruled out a return to international cricket in the immediate future and is unlikely to play for New Zealand when England arrive for their tour next month, but he will be spending time with the team. Ryder had said earlier this month that he was leaving a door open for the England series but his agent confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Ryder felt he "needed more time" before he could make an international comeback.

"Jesse has decided that he is not ready to return to the Blackcaps yet," Aaron Klee, Ryder's agent, said in an email. "He wants to stick to the plan he started last year, where he set out to achieve some personal goals and play a full season of domestic cricket.

"He made a decision in June last year to take 12 months out of international cricket to achieve some of his goals. It has only been seven months since he made that decision. Whilst he has been back playing well, and starting to rediscover his enjoyment of the game, he feels that he needs more time before committing fully to playing international cricket."

Ryder was dropped after an incident during the one-day series against South Africa last year. He then decided to take a break to work on various issues, and struck form upon returning to domestic cricket. Ryder has played six matches for Wellington in the Plunket Shied, the first-class competition, scoring 580 runs at 58 with three hundreds, and was the leading run-getter in the HRV Cup, making 584 in 12 matches at 58.40.

"Jesse is committed to seeing through the plan that has so far been successful," Klee said. "He has been making very good decisions - we need to respect his decision-making in this instance as well. He still has goals he wants to achieve and achieving these would be difficult whilst playing international cricket - especially given the schedule the Blackcaps have in the coming months."

Klee said New Zealand Cricket was supportive of Ryder's decision and was welcoming about him wanting to be involved with the team during the England series. However, he said "Jesse wants to keep to his original plan and the decision to take 12 months out of international cricket. That decision was made last June, so it is unlikely that he will deviate from his plan."

Ryder, Klee added, would play the IPL if he was selected, given it was a "domestic competition" and he would be on a "short-term contract". Klee, though, said there wasn't a set timeline for Ryder's international return. "It would not be appropriate to try and put a date on a return to the Blackcaps. Many factors would have to align, including selection in the team."

Ryder is due to meet the New Zealand coach, Mike Hesson, on January 29. "The meeting was never about selection or availability - that isn't even on the agenda for Tuesday," Klee said. "It is a continuation of the regular discussions so Jesse wanted to dismiss any speculation before the meeting."