England in West Indies: Jafer Chohan earns first call-up and Jos Buttler returns from injury
A first England call-up is the latest accolade in what has been a whirlwind two years for London-born Chohan.
In 2022, he was playing club cricket in Loughborough with the assumption that his dream of playing professionally was over, having failed to sign a contract with his childhood county Middlesex.
But his work in a net bowling session for England’s T20 squad caught the attention of Joe Root, followed by his introduction to SACA, which led to a first deal with Yorkshire.
In 2023, after making an impression in the T20 Blast, Chohan was selected as a wildcard pick by Southern Brave for The Hundred.
“It feels like an absolute dream to be selected. It’s what I’ve worked for my whole life,” Chohan told Yorkshire CCC.
“For me this is a really good opportunity to be around some of the best players in the world, learn as much as I can and just really sharpen up my game as much as possible.”
Chohan credits SACA for giving him a second chance and for showing that the traditional route of progress from a county academy set-up is not the only option for players.
Having to learn to love the game again after his struggle to secure a county deal initially, Chohan studied leg-spin intensely on YouTube to develop his craft and then gained valuable advice and teaching from England’s Adil Rashid and his brother, Amar.
“My skillset is a very unique one and a bit different to what England has had before,” added Chohan.
“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.”
Chohan was namechecked by Rashid last week during a BBC Sport interview and said: “There’s a few around the circuit, they’re in competition, which is healthy competition, they can compete to become that number one spinner.
“Hopefully you get that competition of somebody who’s very good and can become the best.”
