Ryan Higgins

Ryan Higgins was one of the top allrounders in county cricket in the late 2010s and into the next decade, bowling nagging medium pace and scoring quick runs from the lower middle order.

Higgins was born in Harare before his family moved to Berkshire. He made his limited-overs debut, for Middlesex, in 2014 and showcased his ability to clear the ropes. Two years on, he was revealing his wicket-taking talents too: he took 5 for 13 against Hampshire to propel Middlesex into the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast. His short-form credentials were reinforced in 2017 when he smashed 68 not out off 28 balls against Gloucestershire, which enticed them into luring him away from Middlesex at the end of the season.

Though he was keen on playing for Middlesex, Higgins found opportunities were limited there due to their plentiful seam-bowling stocks. At Gloucestershire he immediately found his way into the side and took 48 Championship wickets in his first season. The following summer he took 50, and made 958 runs, to help his side earn promotion from Division Two.

In 2020 his Bob Willis Trophy game against Warwickshire was a doozy: Higgins made a fifty and took 11 wickets. The following year he hit the 50-wicket mark again, making it into the ranks of the top ten Championship wicket-takers for the year. In 2022 he kicked off the season in top gear, drawing Gloucestershire's first game, against Northants, with seven wickets and 139 runs in the second innings after they fell to 21 for 4.