Cricketer Jesse Ryder says he still wants to play for New Zealand this summer despite copping a six-month ban for failing a drug test.
The troubled cricketer, who has battled alcohol problems and spent two days in a coma in March after being assaulted outside a Christchurch bar, took a weight-loss product which contained a banned substance.
The Sports Tribunal of New Zealand banned Ryder for six months from April 19, meaning he is free to play for his new provincial side Otago from October 19.
Ryder, 29, who said he was physically fit, told the LiveSport radio station on Wednesday the ban won’t affect him from bowling and batting for Otago in the coming summer.
He put himself on a self-imposed exile from the Black Caps in June last year as he sought to improve elements of his personal life but says he wants to get back in the Black Caps.
The West Indies tour New Zealand in December.
“I’ve been through a lot this year and had plenty to think about what I want and what I want to do. I made the decision that I want to get back into that BC (Black Caps) side… that’s the main goal this summer.”
He had recently had a meeting with Black Caps coach Mike Hesson about returning, and was in contact with skipper Brendon McCullum.
“The communication is there, which is good.”
Ryder, who averages nearly 41 with the bat from 18 Tests, was handed a lighter penalty than the standard two-year suspension because he was able to establish how the substances got in his system and convince the tribunal that it was not intended to enhance his cricket performance.
He said he had researched the supplement using the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List mobile phone app and determined it contained no banned substances.
However, the Tribunal said a warning on the packaging that it may contain traces of other substances should have prompted him to ask more questions.
Ryder tested positive for 1-Phenylbutan-2-amine (PBA) and N, alpha-diethyl-benzeneethanamine (DEBEA), both of which are banned in competition.