5 instances when cricketers survived near death experiences

Cricketers play a high profile sport which has never remained a stranger to controversy for long. The national teams have cult followings and the players are worshipped. This makes us forget that the players are not invincible, they are mortals just like us. And they have had close brushes with death as well.Here are five instances when cricketers have survived near death experiences:

#5 Jesse Ryder assaulted in a bar

Jesse Ryder was hit over the head

New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder is no stranger to controversies. He's been accused of late night drinking, having his hand slashed by having it stuck through a toilet window and of verbally abusing his team manager, Dave Currie. The incident at the Christchurch bar almost ended his life though.

Reports state that Ryder got into an altercation with four men, and a brawl ensued spreading from the bar into the parking lot of a restaurant across the street.

Ryder himself recollects that "Someone told me I'd been jumped, hit from behind and had whacked my head.'' He stated that he has no memory of anything besides going to a bar with his Wellington teammates.

Later two men were charged with assault on Ryder. Ryder said "I look back and think I am lucky not to be dead. It was just black. I just woke up all of a sudden after 56 hours or so, I think it was, just bang, like that. I remember waking up and trying to pull the tube out of my throat and then someone had to stop me from doing that.