Ryan Burl
Ryan Burl is a versatile batsman from Zimbabwe
Ryan Burl was born on April 15, 1994 in Marondere, Zimbabwe. He has been playing for the national team since 2017.
Burl is known as an extremely talented athlete. At various times, he represented Zimbabwe in the U-19 World Cricket Cup (2012 and 2014) and played for the national hockey, athletics, and squash teams.
Ryan’s playstyle is characterized as aggressive, which is not quite typical for a batsman. Perhaps this is partly what affected his statistics: the player was repeatedly injured – in particular, having dislocated his shoulder during one of the matches of the English league, he dropped out of the competition for a long time. Later, during a tour of Sri Lanka, Burl was forced to leave the location of the national team after he was diagnosed with a severe allergic reaction to fish.
Ryan has been playing for the local team Mashonaland Eagles since 2014, but he only got a chance to prove himself in T20 three years after receiving the first call to the national team in February 2017, when a tour of England was planned. He played his first match for the T20 Mis Ainak Knights in the Shpageeza Cricket League (Afghanistan) in the fall.
In general, Burl’s career in T20 can be described as successful. So, speaking for the Rising Stars at the Logan Cup in the 2017-2018 season, he completed 401 runs in five matches, topping the list of the most effective draw batsmen. The achievements of the Zimbabwean did not go unnoticed, and he was signed by the Chattogram Challengers (Bangladesh) in the fall of 2019.
Over the years of active performances, Ryan managed to play for the following teams:
- the Mashonaland Eagles (since 2014);
- the Mis Ainak Knights (since 2017);
- the Rising Stars (2017-2018);
- the Chattogram Challengers (2019-2020);
- the Rhinos (2020-2021).
Ryan Burl: game statistics
| Competition Category | Test | ODI | ODI | FC |
| Matches | 1 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Wounds | 16 | 243 | 295 | 1345 |
| Average performance | 8.00 | 20.25 | 24.58 | 43.38 |
| Best score | 16 | 53 | 57 | 151 |
Ryan Burl: performing internationally
Burl attracted the attention of the breeders of the Zimbabwe national cricket team while still a junior. The player received an invitation to the national team for the ODI competition against Afghanistan in 2017.
At the end of the year, Ryan was officially included in the test team for the match against South Africa. However, the player failed to prove himself at this level, not least because of the chronic problems of the Zimbabwe Cricket with the organization and funding.
Burl fared far better at the T20I. In early 2018, he entered the field for the first time wearing the national team clothes in the Twenty20 International match against Afghanistan. He received a call to the Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series a season later, setting a record against the home team (maximum runs per over).
Ryan is willing to take part in community initiatives to return the Zimbabwe cricket to its former positions. So, he recently joined the Grassroots Cricket (Inc), which deals with the problems of integrating African youth into sports.
“As a person and a player, I received a special, privileged upbringing,” the batsman explained. “Therefore, it is an honor for me to help less fortunate people achieve success not only in cricket, but also in life. I had the opportunity to play my favorite sport, and many children do not have it, because they grow up in a different environment. I want to help them by sharing a game of friendliness and joy with them and perhaps give them a better start in life. It is important for children to have dreams and goals, but the joy that play gives is less important for them.”
Ryan Burl: interesting facts
- Ryan’s girlfriend is Sarah Forsyth;
- Ryan is a big tennis fan. His favorite players include Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka;
- He is an active user of social networks and keeps fans updated on the latest developments in the national team’s camp.
