Ryan Burl

Ryan Burl is an aggressive left handed middle order batsman and a part time leg-spinner. He has represented Zimbabwe in the 2012 Under-19 World Cup as well as 2014 Under-19 World cup.

Despite being such a prodigy, Burl initially opted to move to Southampton for university studies. However, he ditched his education and a chance at English county cricket to return to Zimbabwe when he got a first class cricket contract back home, citing his love and patriotism for the country.

Ryan Burl made his debut against Afghanistan in February, 2017. Burl's career has been hit by some serious injuries, he dislocated his shoulder playing in a league match in England and was out of cricket for a long time. In Zimbabwe's tour of Sri Lanka, Ryan Burl had to be hospitalised due to an allergic reaction to fish.

An outspoken and brave cricketer, Burl called out the financial struggles of playing for Zimbabwe in May 2021 when he posted a picture showing his torn and worn out shoes, and how the players had to glue them together and couldn’t afford new ones because of no sponsors. The tweet grabbed a few headlines, and the sports apparel company Puma rushed in to become new shoe sponsors for Zimbabwe and Burl.

Burl’s finest moment for Zimbabwe came in September, 2022 in an ODI at Townsville, where he picked up 5/10 against the mighty Australians. He bowled three maidens in his spell and registered the second best figures for a visiting spinner Down Under, as Zimbabwe claimed a memorable away victory against Australia. In the last couple of years, Ryan Burl has been a regular member of Zimbabwe’s white ball setup, and also gained a few lucrative franchise contracts. He’s a handy lower order tonker and can be useful with his leg spin as well, augmenting his overall value to the team.