WELLINGTON — New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder's condition was improving and gave family the thumbs-up Friday as police said they had arrested two men in connection with the alleged assault. A 20-year-old man and 37-year-old had been charged with assault and would appear in court on April 4, New Zealand Police (NZP) said in a statement. The men were related, police said, without providing further detail. Ryder, 28, was rushed to hospital early Thursday with serious head injuries after being involved in two altercations outside a bar and fast food restaurant in Merivale, a suburb of Christchurch. Local media reported Ryder, who was in a critical condition Thursday, had sustained a fractured skull and a collapsed lung in the alleged assault. New Zealand Cricket Players Association Chief Executive Heath Mills said that Ryder's condition had improved Friday, while his manager Aaron Klee told a media conference that the batsman had given the family “a thumbs up” gesture. “He has been responsive and has been interacting with his family and his medical team, Jesse is still in an induced coma and is still needing support with breathing following an injury to his lungs,” Mills said. “In terms of a head injury it cannot be fully determined at this stage what the effects of a knock to Jesse's head are, we will know more once he comes out of the coma.” Ryder had been expected to travel to India for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament with the Delhi Daredevils this week, but had been in a self-imposed exile from international cricket after a series of alcohol-related incidents. — Agencies
