Chohan, 22, created history last month when he became the first South Asian cricket Academy (SACA) graduate to be named in an England squad. Launched in 2021 by Dr Tom Brown, the academy aimed to remedy the under-representation of South Asian British players in the professional game, and Chohan’s opportunity with Yorkshire arose after he was released by Middlesex as a 17-year-old in 2019.
However, Chohan will not yet make the step up to England’s international status. Instead, he will fly home on Monday, with the rest of the team moving from Barbados to St Lucia, having taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series last night following a comfortable seven-wicket win.
In addition to the Lions tour, which runs from November 20 to December 14 and will be Andrew Flintoff’s first outing as head coach, Chohan will also play for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, with that tournament kicking off on December 15.
His departure from the England white-ball team is a reflection of the team’s current T20I success, as well as the host of spin options already available to Jos Buttler and Marcus Trescothick, the interim head coach.
As well as Adil Rashid, his Yorkshire mentor, with whom he has been working in the nets for the past fortnight, England also have Rehan Ahmed waiting in the wings as a substitute, plus Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Dan Mousley. and Will Jacks in the current starting eleven.
However, his rapid progress into the England set-up remains a notable achievement, given the distance he has come since 2022, when he played domestic counties cricket for Berkshire.
