Bracewell unhappy with fitness of Ryder and McMillan

The New Zealand selectors and team management were reportedly unhappy with the fitness of two players - Jesse Ryder and Craig McMillan - during their tour of Australia last month. While McMillan was subsequently axed from New Zealand's provisional 30-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in India owing to weight problems, Ryder got the nod.

John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, confirmed that he wasn't pleased with Ryder's fitness during the tour, but reasoned that his consistent scores made him an investment for the future.

"That's moderately fair but it's a completely separate issue from Craig," Bracewell told Herald on Sunday. "Jesse's 20 [he's 22] and has only just become involved in our A programme. He scored consistently through this series, whereas Craig had one score. I wouldn't compare the two. They're treated separately. Craig's been on contract for near-on eight years and turned up for a tournament unfit. He should know better."

Ryder, a left-hand opening batsman, was one of the stand-out performers in the Emerging Players tournament in Brisbane, scoring 346 runs in seven matches. He then represented New Zealand A for two matches in the Top End series, scoring a century, and was included in the provisional squad on the strength of the Australian tour and a good domestic season with Wellington. Bracewell said that Ryder is currently undergoing an extensive fitness programme to be in better physical condition before the squad is trimmed down to 14.

"We're working with Jesse to try to get him fit and into some sort of competition condition. At 22 he doesn't know better yet. Craig does."

On the other key players recovering from injuries, Bracewell stated that Shane Bond, the fast bowler, began his bowling programme two days back. "He (Bond) came through it very well. Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills have started their bowling programmes. Those guys look like they'll be ready for tournament selection. We're still not progressing as quickly as we'd like with Michael Mason but as far as those guys go, we're mostly on target."