England pick Chohan for West Indies tour as Buttler returns

2 hours ago

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Ffion Wynne

BBC Sport journalist

Leg-spinner Jafer Chohan has earned his first England call-up for nan white-ball circuit of West Indies, while Jos Buttler returns arsenic captain.

Chohan, 22, has taken 22 wickets successful 23 T20 Blast matches for Yorkshire, including 17 successful 10 games successful 2024, and is nan first postgraduate of nan South Asian Cricket Academy (SACA) to beryllium named successful an England squad.

Buttler has been retired since August pinch a calf injury, pinch Harry Brook and Phil Salt starring nan one-day world and T20 sides successful his absence against Australia successful September.

It will beryllium his first bid successful complaint pursuing a reappraisal of England's set-up aft June's T20 World Cup, which saw head coach Matthew Mott measurement down.

The first of 3 ODIs against West Indies takes spot connected 31 October successful Antigua, and is followed by 5 T20s.

The aforesaid squad has been named for some series, pinch Hampshire accelerated bowler John Turner and Warwickshire all-rounder Dan Mousley nan different uncapped players alongside Chohan.

A further 2 players, who are yet to beryllium named, will subordinate nan circuit from nan England Test squad, who decorativeness their circuit of Pakistan connected 28 October.

England drew nan T20 bid against Australia but mislaid nan ODI bid 3-2, arsenic they proceed to rebuild aft nan departure of Mott, nan status of all-rounder Moeen Ali and and nan absence of knowledgeable players including Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood.

Marcus Trescothick will beryllium caput coach pinch Brendon McCullum taking complete successful January 2025.

England squad for West Indies

Jos Buttler (captain), 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.

Who is Jafer Chohan?

A first England call-up is nan latest accolade successful what has been a whirlwind 2 years for London-born Chohan.

In 2022, he was playing nine cricket successful Loughborough pinch nan presumption that his dream of playing professionally was over, having grounded to motion a statement pinch his puerility region Middlesex.

But his activity successful a nett bowling convention for England's T20 squad caught nan attraction of Joe Root, followed by his preamble to SACA, which led to a first woody pinch Yorkshire.

In 2023, aft making an belief successful nan T20 Blast, Chohan was selected arsenic a wildcard prime by Southern Brave for The Hundred.

"It feels for illustration an absolute dream to beryllium selected. It’s what I’ve worked for my full life," Chohan told Yorkshire CCC.

"For maine this is simply a really bully opportunity to beryllium astir immoderate of nan champion players successful nan world, study arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin and conscionable really sharpen up my crippled arsenic overmuch arsenic possible."

Chohan credits SACA for giving him a 2nd chance and for showing that nan accepted way of advancement from a region academy set-up is not nan only action for players.

Having to study to emotion nan crippled again aft his struggle to unafraid a region woody initially, Chohan studied leg-spin intensely connected YouTube to create his trade and past gained valuable proposal and school from England's Adil Rashid and his brother, Amar.

"My skillset is simply a very unsocial 1 and a spot different to what England has had before," added Chohan.

"I consciousness very assured successful my crippled and I for illustration to definitive myself arsenic a personification pinch really I vessel and I deliberation that useful to my strength. Being successful this caller situation will beryllium a really bully opportunity to thrive."

Chohan was namechecked by Rashid past week during a BBC Sport question and reply and said: "There’s a fewer astir nan circuit, they’re successful competition, which is patient competition, they tin compete to go that number 1 spinner.

"Hopefully you get that title of personification who’s very bully and tin go nan best."