'Bad boy' Ryder gutted over six-month ban after positive drug test

New Zealand player Jesse Ryder has said that he is devastated by his six-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance but is trying to accept the decision.

According to stuff.co.nz, the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand banned the troubled cricketer for six months after he tested positive for two prohibited substances contained in the weight-loss product Gaspari Detonate.

However, Ryder will not miss any first-class cricket for his new province, Otago, as the retrospective ban ends on October 19, before the beginning of the new season, the report said.

The player said that he had never taken drugs and to be in such a situation distressed him greatly, adding that he simply took the supplement to lose weight.

Ryder was told about the positive test on April 12 and appeared in a hearing with the Sports Tribunal earlier this month, the report added.