Jafer Chohan has been selected for England men's tour of the Caribbean later this month, making the 22-year-old legspinner the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy to be selected for England.
England announced a 14-player squad today (October 2) to face the West Indies in an ODI and T20I tour which begins on October 31. That squad will be supplemented by two players from England's Test squad to face Pakistan this month, with the players travelling out to the Caribbean following that series to be announced alongside the final Test match in Rawalpindi. Among three uncapped names in the squad was Chohan, who only signed his first professional contract with Yorkshire last year.
England white-ball squad to face the West Indies: Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner.
Chohan joined Yorkshire on a rookie contract at the end of 2023, before signing a two-year deal later that year. He spent his teenage years in the Middlesex Academy but did not progress to their senior side. In 2022, he was playing for Berkshire in the National Counties league, winning the 50-over competition with the side, and was recommended to the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA). SACA is a programme designed to tackle inequalities which lead to a lack of British South Asian representation in professional cricket across the UK. So far, ten men's SACA graduates have signed professional contracts, with Chohan the first to be called up to represent England at senior level.
After a successful spell with SACA, where he bowled against County second XIs, he was invited to be a net bowler for England ahead of their 2022 Test tour of Pakistan. During the practice, he dismissed both Joe Root and Ben Duckett, and was invited to trial at Yorkshire.
He made his T20 debut in the 2023 T20 Blast against Warwickshire, in a team that included Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Shan Masood. While he took no wickets in that game, he did score 37 off 20 batting at No.10. His best figures came earlier this year, when he took 5-14 against Durham in the Blast, including three wickets in four balls. He picked up 17 wickets in the 2024 competition.
Since making his debut last year, Chohan has played 23 T20 matches, all in the T20 Blast. He has yet to make his debut in either List A or first-class cricket, with injury preventing him from playing in the One Day Cup this summer. He was drafted into the 2023 Hundred for Southern Brave as a back-up for Rehan Ahmed, but wasn't picked up in 2024. Last month, Chohan became one of 14 England players picked up in the BBL, in which he will represent Sydney Sixers. It was also announced earlier this week that he signed a new three-year deal with Yorkshire.
Speaking following the announcement of his England call-up, Chohan said: "It feels like an absolute dream to be selected. It's what I've worked my whole life for... My Skillset is a very unique one and a bit different to what England has had before. I feel very confident in my game and I like to express myself as a person with how i bowl and I think that works to my strength. Being in this new environment will be a really good opportunity to thrive."
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