Ryan Burl

His path to senior cricket included a detour abroad. Burl moved to Southampton to attend university, a move that also opened a possible route into English county cricket. When a first-class contract was offered to him in Zimbabwe, he gave up both his studies and that English opportunity and went home, explaining the choice as an expression of his love for his country.

Burl's international debut came in February 2017, against Afghanistan. Setbacks followed. A dislocated shoulder suffered during a league game in England kept him away from the sport for an extended spell, and on a Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka he was admitted to hospital after reacting badly to fish.

Off the field, he drew attention in May 2021 by sharing an image of his battered, glued-together shoes to highlight the money problems facing Zimbabwe's players, who lacked sponsors and could not replace their kit. The post made news, and Puma stepped forward to sponsor footwear for Burl and the national side.

With the ball, his standout performance arrived in September 2022 in a one-day international at Townsville, where he took 5/10 against Australia, including three maiden overs. Those figures ranked as the second best by a touring spinner in Australia, and Zimbabwe won the match. Since then he has featured regularly in Zimbabwe's white-ball sides and has earned several franchise deals, valued for his hitting lower in the order and his useful leg-spin.