Jesse Ryder: 'I'm lucky not to be dead'

As the blackness receded and Jesse Ryder regained consciousness after 56 hours in an induced coma, one of his first thoughts was, "Oh, God, not another issue!"
Issues and Ryder have gone hand in hand since the burly batsman burst on to the New Zealand cricket scene in 2008.
Late-night drinking, a hand slashed when he stuck it through a toilet window, more late-night drinking, verbally abusing team manager Dave Currie... no wonder he thought he was in trouble again.
But this time the next "issue" - inadvertently taking a banned drug - was still some time away. Before that, he had a bigger struggle on his hands, namely fighting for his life.
In late March, Ryder was rushed to intensive care with a suspected fractured skull and a serious lung injury after being attacked in the early hours of the morning outside a Christchurch bar.
He spent 56 hours in an induced coma while fans, friends and strangers held candlelight vigils as word spread that one of the country's most talented and polarising sportsmen was in a precarious state.
Ryder, seven months on and by his own admission not a "deep and meaningful" person, realises how lucky he is to be alive.
"After being told what happened, you start thinking a bit. I mean, we've all heard the stories of guys hitting their heads and dying after being punched and falling to the ground," he said.
"I look back and think I am lucky not to be dead."