Ryan Higgins is a middle order batsman who was born in Harare before his family moved to Berkshire, making him part of the substantial number of Zimbabweans plying their trade outside the country of their birth. He moved from Middlesex to Gloucestershire at the end of the 2017 season in search of regular cricket in all formats, a blow for Middlesex who regarded him highly.

He made his Middlesex debut in List A and Twenty20 cricket in 2014, and showed impressive boundary-clearing ability in the shortest format of the game. He was involved in a quirky incident when Middlesex played Sussex in a T20 match at Hove in 2014, a huge leg-side hit against legspinner Will Beer striking a seagull and preventing a certain boundary; the seagull, briefly brought to earth, flew off seemingly not seriously injured.

In 2016, he also revealed unexpected T20 wicket-taking ability, too, collecting 5 for 13 against Hampshire to take Middlesex into the quarter-finals, having only taken his maiden T20 wicket on Thursday earlier that week. That Higgins was a dangerous customer in T20 was exemplified in 2017 when he rattled up an unbeaten 68 from 28 balls against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. Gloucestershire liked what they saw so much that they enticed Higgins to sign for them at the end of the season with coach Richard Dawson terming him: "A game changer".

Higgins' first season at Bristol identified him as an excellent signing. However highly Gloucestershire had thought of him, they would not have predicted his 48 Championship wickets at 18.38, revealing his growing prowess in April with a career-best 5 for 21 against Sussex at Hove on a frantic 22-wicket day.

ESPNcricinfo staff