- England have named their squad for their limited-overs tour of the Caribbean
- Jafer Chohan has received his maiden call-up as part of the touring party
- England play three ODIs and five T20s from late October to mid November
England have added Jafer Chohan to their catalogue of recent surprise picks by naming the unheralded Yorkshire leg-spinner for the upcoming white-ball tour of the Caribbean.
Chohan, 22, is part of a 14-man squad led by the returning Jos Buttler that will participate in three one-day internationals and a five-match Twenty20 series versus West Indies.
His selection follows the emergence of Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley over the past 13 months and a recent Test debut for Leicestershire’s giant left-armer Josh Hull.
‘It feels like an absolute dream to be selected. It’s what I’ve worked for my whole life,’ said Chohan.
‘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.
Jafer Chohan (pictured) has been named in England’s limited-overs squad for their Caribbean tour
Limited-overs captain Jos Buttler will return after missing the summer internationals with a calf injury
‘It has helped at Yorkshire seeing how England players go about their work and how well they understand their games and how well they know what works for them.
‘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.’
The selectors are currently blessed by the ever-presence of Adil Rashid, England’s most prolific spinner across limited-overs cricket, but wary that he turns 36 this winter, are beginning to identify long-term successors.
Rehan Ahmed, another wrist spin option, is on Test duty in Pakistan this month and with the tours overlapping anyone involved in the final Test in Rawalpindi from October 24 is ruled out of appearing in both. However, two of those surplus to requirements that week – potentially Jordan Cox and Brydon Carse – will swell the Caribbean contingent to 16.
So, instead, they have turned to Chohan, Rashid’s understudy at Headingley, whose best weapons are a well-disguised googly and a slider. The pair are yet to play together for Yorkshire, but Rashid has been a mentor at his Bradford-based academy over the past couple of seasons.
Chohan first drew attention two years ago as an England net bowler at Loughborough University, where he was a student, and the ex-Middlesex age group player was offered a rookie deal by Yorkshire following a South Asian Cricket Academy open trial in November 2022.
His career experience amounts to 23 Vitality Blast appearances. Ten of those were this past summer when he took 17 wickets, striking every 12 deliveries – a return that led to him being picked up by Sydney Sixers in Australia’s Big Bash League draft last month.
All-rounder Dan Mousley (pictured) is another uncapped player named in the touring party
Hampshire seamer John Turner and Warwickshire all-rounder Dan Mousley, both of whom have appeared in squads before, are the two other uncapped players in the touring party, but there is no place for Lancashire’s Hartley, an unused member of England’s World Cup squad in June.
Buttler, 34, has not played since the semi-final defeat to India in Guyana, but returns from a calf injury that ruled him out of the recent limited-overs series against Australia.