The 22-year-old paceman, referred to by teammates as “Temu Barrel” or “Baby Barrel” according to Bulls bowling coach Hamish Bennett, has claimed a wicket in each of his six Sheffield Shield innings. In the recent match at the Gabba, Ryan took three wickets in each innings, dismissing former Test batsmen Peter Handscomb and Marcus Harris twice and South Africa series squad member Sam Harper in the second dig. A side strain kept him from bowling on day four.
Bennett, a former New Zealand international, described Ryan’s approach as strongly reminiscent of Boland. “He sort of possesses [the Boland traits] – he bowls over perpendicular, he can move the ball and wing the ball both ways if he wants, but he just focuses on control, which is one of his strengths,” Bennett said. “He doesn’t try to get too fancy or too clever, he just repeats and repeats ball after ball, and it’s really impressive to watch. I think he’s probably someone who is just a born bowler.”
Interim Bulls skipper Mitch Swepson credited changes to Ryan’s run-up this pre-season for his recent success. “I know that was one thing this preseason he worked a lot on, and the more preseasons you do the stronger you get, the more you trust your body, and the more you get your recovery right, so he’s ticking all those boxes,” Swepson said. “You’d think he’s been playing for seasons, he just locks in, and it’s unfortunate he’s done a little injury – we’ll see how long that puts him out for. Hopefully, he gets back soon because he’s in a lovely rhythm at the moment and adds a lot to our attack.”
Ryan is part of a “cartel” of young Bulls quicks, Charles Lachmund, Callum Vidler, Thomas Straker, Tom Balkin, Ollie Patterson and Ryan, all aged 22 or under. Bennett highlighted their variety: “Some possess pace, some possess height, some swing it, some nip it, some are bounce bowlers, and some rely purely on air speed. I think the variety of the bowlers is probably the most exciting bit; not one of them is the same.”
Injuries have interrupted several of the group. Vidler, who can bowl at speeds faster than 140 km/h, has been managed back from stress fractures in his back and is working towards hitting top flight around Christmas during the Brisbane Heat’s Big Bash League campaign. Bennett called him a “Formula One car” and said they had clocked him at 145 km/h in nets. Lachmund, who took 12 wickets at an average of 16.33 at the Under-19s One-Day World Cup, was, Bennett hinted, to be eased towards higher honours.
Swepson added, “You’re seeing out there a pretty formidable bowler when he gets it right.”