Bengaluru: Jesse Ryder and Mathew Sinclair couldn’t be more different in character, yet their international cricket careers for New Zealand were shaped by strikingly similar struggles -- marked by what Sinclair calls shared “trials and tribulations.”
Sinclair burst onto the scene with one of the best starts in New Zealand cricket history, hammering two double centuries in his first 12 Tests across two continents. But as he openly admits, the weight of those early successes made it tough to sustain his place in the side. Across 11 years, he managed just 33 Tests.
Ryder, on the other hand, was one of New Zealand’s most naturally gifted cricketers. But his battles with alcohol, mismanagement by NZ Cricket, and relentless media scrutiny derailed what should have been a long, glittering career.
Now, both men are in town for an International Cricket Camp, mentoring students at VIBGYOR High, with sessions happening in Pune and Mumbai between April 20 and 24.
Talking about the initiative, Sinclair said: "Yeah, I think its focus is on actually getting outside rather than getting inside the classroom. It's an opportunity for the guys and the girls to get outside and experience the game that we've loved for so long. Yes, I do believe that inside the classroom is just as important as it is on the outside, really, because I think the skill sets that you bring on the outside will actually hold them instead for job opportunities later on.
"I think a lot more high schools and schools are now taking on that opportunity to bring in specialist coaches, hence why the opportunity for us to come over here and to impart a lot of our knowledge is beneficial. I've played a sport that I've loved for so long and it's given me everything and now is a good time to give back. I think it's a great opportunity for guys and girls especially to go out there and make a career out of young cricket."
Reflecting on his career, Sinclair told DH, “I guess for me I failed to live up to the standards of consistency. I think the pressure at the very start of what I did may have had a little bit of an impact. I mentioned earlier about having a lot of coaches trying to change my technique. I felt like if I’d just gone and just been me, it could have gone somewhere. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that at all. You have to change your game plans and change your techniques to suit situations. I embrace that. I guess I struggled with the mental side of it initially. I’ve only started to find out later on in my career that it was basically just going at it and being myself.”
After retiring in 2013, Sinclair found himself jobless. Despite an international career that started at 17, he soon realised he had no means to provide for himself. Forced onto government support, he took up odd jobs — most of them part-time, but necessary.
“Life after cricket can be very tough for a lot of people out there. It’s totally different here in India. Because it’s their No. 1 sport. Same in England as well. They’ve got pathways. We don’t have the same opportunities or pathways in New Zealand. I would have loved to go and be part of my first-class team, City Cricket. They’ve just haven’t turned an eyelid to me. I’ve got that much experience to give. It’s just ridiculous. Every ground I turn up to in New Zealand or around the world, I know how to play. I know how to go about things. I know how to impart a lot of my knowledge.
"They don’t want to be a part of that. It actually pisses me off. It really does. Hence why I’ve gone and done jobs through my whole career, just left one centre (to come here). Just to fill in time, wait for my contract to turn up, play the game, go and do something that’s not really what I want to do, but I do it anyway just to get through. Then back into it again. It’s a revolving cycle. Hence why I come over here and I encourage the kids to find that pathway of life outside of the game and career.”
Ryder’s story isn’t much brighter. His talent was never in doubt, but repeated breaches of team protocol saw him fall out of favour. What stings for him is being denied a comeback after making amends.
“My story is a frustrating story,” he admitted. “And it’s probably something that I can’t really get into. But there was a period there where obviously I played the game because I love it. I didn’t care too much about anything. I was a bit of a cruiser. But obviously off-field situations probably hindered me a little bit. I was always first to say when I’d stuffed up. But I also had a lot of times where I was thrown under the bus, which pissed me off. And once people started doing that to me, I started not caring.
"And then I went away, played three years for Essex, wasn’t drinking, was three years sober. I went back to New Zealand Cricket and asked for an opportunity. And I got (in reply), ‘we’ll stay in touch with you and see how you’re going throughout the season.’ I didn’t hear back from them. So once that happened, mate, I just got over it pretty quickly.”
He continued, “I said, look, I was killing it as well in cricket. I was like, I’m probably in the best form of my life. Now’s the time to pick me. I’m three years sober. Give me the chance. And that’s fair enough. Probably I heard a few things that didn’t impress me. And to be fair, once that happened, I just didn’t care anymore. That sort of stuff, I’m that sort of person. I’ll just go on and do something else. It was frustrating because I wanted to get back in that team and show what I was made of. And it pissed me off that I didn’t get another opportunity after I’d done everything that they’d wanted.”
These days, Sinclair works as a supervisor at an apple orchard, exporting produce overseas. Ryder admits he’s unemployed.
“I look after RSEs (Recognised Seasoned Employees). They come over from the islands and I look after them. It’s a permanent role. When this (coaching) opportunity came up, I said, yeah, I want to come over again. It’s tough leaving home.”
Recently, Ryder featured in the Legends 90 League — a T20 tournament for retired players — but wasn’t paid.
“I think these days with those retired leagues that I’m playing in at the moment, it’s just nice to get away from home for a bit,” he remarked. “It’s nice money when they pay you. There’s been a lot of payment issues to the players, especially at Legends 90. I lost my job to come over here and play in Legends 90 and for them not to pay me, that angers me so much. You take your time off to come over here to play in the teams and stuff like that.”
Now, Ryder urges young players to be smart — to plan for life beyond cricket.
“The earlier you start stuff like that, the easier the transition is. After I stopped playing, I went through random jobs. I had a good job at Cape Canipa’s golf course. I was a greenskeeper up there. I obviously lost that job due to coming over here for being away too much for those tournaments. At the moment, no job. Hopefully get another job on a golf course when I get home…” he trailed off.