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A Christchurch Hospital spokesman said Jesse Ryder's condition had not changed overnight.
As Ryder was taken to hospital early Thursday with critical injuries after he was attacked outside Aikmans bar in Merivale, Christchurch.
Police charged a 20-year-old man and other one also recently arrested, with assault in connection with a late-night attack on New Zealand cricketer Jesse Ryder, who remains in critical condition.
Detective Senior Sergeant Brian Archer announced the development about their search for other persons at a news conference in Christchurch on Friday, saying police were following "positive lines of inquiry".
Archer also said,” The investigation is continuing ... we are still working on it and the arrested man will appear in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday ".
As previously said Ryder remained in an induced coma with critical injuries due to apparently unprovoked assault just a day before he was about to leave New Zealand for one more season in the profitable Indian Premier League.
View of Police towards the incident
Police said Thursday they had been unable to establish a motive for a late-night assault outside a bar, which left Ryder with a fractured skull and punctured lung.
At a news conference Thursday, Sergeant Archer said Ryder was attacked twice in quick succession as he left a bar shortly after midnight with team-mates from Wellington who were in Christchurch for a domestic cricket match.
He was first assaulted by "two or three" people outside the bar and was then followed across the road to the car park of a fast food restaurant where the second and more serious assault took place, Police said.
Initial reports said Ryder was attacked by up to four men but police have since reduced that number.
Struggling history
The 28-year-old Ryder has fought a high-profile battle with alcohol and his international career has been punctuated by disciplinary problems. He has made himself unavailable for the New Zealand team since February, 2012, withdrawing from international cricket to tackle alcohol and fitness issues and other personal problems.
While Ryder hasn't spoken publicly about those issues, friends say he'd turned his life around in the past 12 months.
Contributing factor to the assault
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"We all know Jesse has struggled with some demons ... It has been made very clear to us by police that Jesse was having a few drinks with his team mates at the conclusion of their season ... but the actual assault was not alcohol-fuelled.
Police were adamant Thursday that although the Wellington players had been at a licensed premises during the evening, there was no evidence at this stage to suggest that alcohol was a contributing factor to the assault.
Archer said police had interviewed witnesses and were investigating.
"We believe at least 10 or more people have witnessed some of the events,” he said. "There are CCTV cameras in the area and we're going through the process of downloading and reviewing that footage so we can have a clearer picture of what has taken."
Behind the assault
According to police there was a sequence of events happened around the assaults.
Archer said, "An argument has taken place on the footpath outside Aikman's (bar) involving Jesse and a group of at least two other males….but the altercation was brief."
Archer said after that incident, Ryder and two other people walked toward a McDonald's restaurant where some of his teammates had been buying food.
"A second altercation has taken place at the entrance to the McDonald's car park, involving one of the males from the earlier group," he said. "In that incident it appears Jesse has been the victim of a serious assault and has suffered head injuries as a result."
Pray for Jesse
Messages of support and hope flooded in from cricketers and fans around the world. The incident has appalled New Zealanders, including Prime Minister John Key.
The New Zealand prime minister was among those who expressed distress at the attack on Ryder.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said in a statement: "We are all shocked by what has occurred and extremely concerned for Jesse."
Many leading cricketers used Twitter to express their concern for Ryder.
West Indies star Chris Gayle posted in a Twitter message: "Will have Jesse in my prayer. Pray for Jesse. Let's hope he gets better soon."
Former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: "Devastating news regarding Jesse Ryder.
Just hope he can pull through. Thoughts are with him and his family."
The Next Step was!
Ryder was about to leave New Zealand on Friday to take up a $260,000 contract with the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League. He has played 18 tests for New Zealand, scoring three centuries and six half centuries with a top score of 201 against India.
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