Yorkshire Legspinner Jafer Chohan Earns Maiden England Call-Up

Yorkshire legspinner Jafer Chohan has earned his maiden England call-up for the men's limited-overs tour of West Indies, becoming the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to achieve international recognition.

Launched in 2021, SACA aims to address the underrepresentation of British South Asian players in professional cricket. Co-founded by Dr. Tom Brown and former England bowler Kabir Ali, the academy's research revealed that British Asians constitute only 5% of cricketers at the top level, despite representing 30% of recreational players in England and Wales.

Chohan, released by Middlesex at age 17, joined Yorkshire in 2022 and has established himself in their T20 side. His England call-up follows an impressive 2024 Vitality Blast campaign, where he claimed 17 wickets at an average of 15.52, including a standout performance of 5 for 14 against Durham.

Despite his form and the value of wrist-spin in shorter formats, Chohan has yet to feature in the men's Hundred. However, Yorkshire recently announced his three-year contract extension until 2027.

England's selection of Chohan reflects their search for spin options following the retirement of Moeen Ali, SACA's president, and the need for a successor to Adil Rashid. Chohan has received mentorship from Rashid, both at Yorkshire and at his cricket center in Bradford.

"It's an absolute dream to be selected," said Chohan. "I've worked for this my whole life."

Warwickshire's Dan Mousley and Hampshire's John Turner are the other uncapped players in the 14-man squad.

Chohan's selection aligns with England's unconventional approach under managing director Rob Key, who emphasizes attributes over domestic averages. This approach has been evident in the selection of Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir for the Test tour of India and Josh Hull for the final Test against Sri Lanka.

With Test head coach Brendon McCullum set to take over the limited-overs role in 2025, this left-field thinking is expected to continue as England rebuilds after disappointing World Cup performances.

Jos Buttler will return as captain following a calf injury, but a decision on his wicketkeeping role will be made closer to the tour. Phil Salt is the only viable stand-in in the original squad, although Jordan Cox and Jamie Smith could be included from the Pakistan Test party.

Tags: #Cricket, #England, #WestIndies, #SACA, #BritishSouthAsianCricketers