Jafer Chohan
{{Short description|English cricketer (born 2002)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Jafer Chohan
| image = 1 07 Jafer Chohan (cropped).jpg
| caption = Chohan in 2023
| fullname = Jafer Ali Chohan
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2002|7|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place = London
| batting = Right-handed
| bowling = Right-arm leg break
| role = Bowler
| family =
| club1 = Yorkshire
| year1 = {{nowrap|2023–}}
| club2 = Sydney Sixers
| year2 = {{nowrap|2024/25}}
| clubnumber1 = 5
| type1 = T20
| debutdate1 = 20 May
| debutyear1 = 2023
| debutfor1 = Yorkshire
| debutagainst1 = Birmingham Bears
| columns = 1
| column1 = Twenty20
| matches1 = 35
| runs1 = 98
| bat avg1 = 9.80
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 37
| deliveries1 = 628
| wickets1 = 33
| bowl avg1 = 25.45
| fivefor1 = 1
| tenfor1 = 0
| best bowling1 = 5/14
| catches/stumpings1 = 6/–
| date = 21 June 2025
| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/jafer-chohan-1152986 ESPNcricinfo
}}
Jafer Ali Chohan (born 11 July 2002) is an English professional cricketer who plays for Yorkshire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm leg break bowler.
Early life
He was born into a British Pakistani family and developed his leg-spin bowling style by emulating former Pakistan international Shahid Afridi.{{cite web |title=Jafer Chohan |url=https://yorkshireccc.com/players/jafer-chohan |access-date=June 1, 2025 |website=Yorkshire County Cricket Club |quote=Chohan, who has Pakistani heritage and is a hard-hitting lower order batter, says he has modelled his style of leg-spin bowling on Shahid Afridi and is not dissimilar to Anil Kumble in the way he bowls.}} He was also inspired to bowl leg-spin by seeing Shane Warne play for Rajasthan Royals at Lord's in 2009. He received a cricket scholarship to attend Harrow School. He played in the age groups at Middlesex County Cricket Club from nine years-old to the Academy.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/premium/how_net_joe_root_led_jafer_chohans_big_break_yorkshire_interview_george_dobell.html|title=How a 90-minute net with Joe Root led to Jafer Chohan's big break at Yorkshire|website=The Cricketer|first=George|last=Dobbel|access-date=March 12, 2023|date=January 4, 2023}} In 2021 he started a degree in International Relations at Loughborough University.{{Cite web|url=https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/10431/yorkshire-sign-jafer-chohan-on-a-rookie-contract|website=yorkshireccc.com|title=Yorkshire Sign Jafer Chohan on a Rookie Contract|date=January 5, 2023|accessdate=March 12, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/10477/chohan-the-modern-leggie-aiming-to-shine-in-all-formats|title= Chohan - The Modern Leggie Aiming to Shine in All Formats|date=February 10, 2023|website=yorkshireccc.com| accessdate=March 12, 2023}}
Domestic career
He played for Berkshire County Cricket Club as they won the National Counties 50-over competition in 2022. Impressing at Berkshire he was recommended to the South Asian Cricket Academy, where performances against county 2nd XIs and as a net bowler for the England Test squad ahead of their 2022-2023 tour of Pakistan earned Chohan a trial with Yorkshire CCC where he was offered a rookie contract in January 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/jafer-chohan-20-year-old-legspinner-signs-rookie-contract-at-yorkshire-1352409|website=espncricinfo.com|access-date=March 12, 2023|date=January 5, 2023|title=Jafer Chohan, 20-year-old legspinner, signs rookie contract at Yorkshire}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/23233359|website=The Telegraph and Argus|date=January 7, 2023|title=Yorkshire announce signing of young leg-spinner Jafer Chohan|first=Harry|last=Williams|access-date=March 12, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cricket/yorkshire-hope-jafer-will-prove-to-be-a-jaffa-as-they-recruit-rookie-leggie-for-2023-3975869|website=Yorkshire Post|first=Chris|last=Waters|date=January 5, 2023|title=Yorkshire hope Jafer will prove to be a jaffa as they recruit rookie leggie for 2023|access-date=March 12, 2023}} Bowling at the England test team he dismissed both Joe Root and Ben Duckett, with Root recommending him a trial at Yorkshire. Chohan impressed in Cape Town on Yorkshire’s pre-season tour of South Africa in March 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/10514/chohan-shines-on-debut-as-yorkshire-win-one-and-lose-one-in-cape-town|title=DEBUTANT CHOHAN SHINES AS VIKINGS WIN ONE AND LOSE ONE IN CT|website=yorkshireccc.com|date=March 12, 2023|access-date=March 12, 2023}}
In May 2023, Chohan was named in the Yorkshire side for their opening T20 Blast match of the 2023 season, against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston Cricket Ground.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/23535609.amp/|website=Thetelegraphandargus.co.uk|accessdate=May 20, 2023|date=May 20, 2023|title= Yorkshire name top Blast batting line up to face Birmingham|first=Nathan|last=Atkinson}} In July 2023, he was drafted into The Hundred by the Southern Brave.{{cite web|title= Maxwell, Marsh pulled out of the Hundred by Cricket Australia|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/london-spirit-glenn-maxwell-mitchell-marsh-hundred-withdrawal-cricket-australia-1385715|first=Matt|last=Roller|website=espncricinfo|date=4 July 2023|accessdate=4 July 2023}} In the same month, it was announced he had signed a new two-year contract with Yorkshire.{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cricket/eight-yorkshire-ccc-players-sign-new-deals-4215467|accessdate=12 July 2023|date=11 July 2023|title= Eight Yorkshire CCC players sign new deals |first=Richard|last=Hercock}}
In September 2024, he was drafted by the Sydney Sixers for the 2024–25 BBL.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/wbbl-bbl-draft-talking-points-adelaide-strikers-mandhana-bargain-and-who-is-jafer-chohan-1449539|accessdate=26 September 2024|date=2 September 2024|title= Draft takeaways: Adelaide Strikers' Mandhana bargain; and who is Jafer Chohan? |first=Andrew|last=McGlashan}} Chohan signed a new three-year contract with Yorkshire on 1 October 2024,{{cite web|url=https://yorkshireccc.com/news/jafer-chohan-signs-new-three-year-deal-with-yorkshire/|title=Jafer Chohan signs new three-year deal with Yorkshire|publisher=Yorkshire County Cricket Club|accessdate=2 October 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/24623723.yorkshire-hand-jafer-chohan-new-long-term-deal-headingley/|title=Yorkshire hand Jafer Chohan new long-term deal at Headingley|publisher=Telegraph and Argus|accessdate=2 October 2024}} He made his Big Bash League debut on 15 January 2025 against Adelaide Strikers.{{cite web|url= https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/big-bash-league-2024-25-1443056/adelaide-strikers-vs-sydney-sixers-35th-match-1443091/match-report|website=espncricinfo.com|accessdate=16 January 2025|title= Steven Smith fifty sets up Sydney Sixers' nervy win over Adelaide Strikers|first=Tristan|last=Lavalette|date=15 January 2025}}
International career
In October 2024, he was named in the England Lions squad for their tour of South Africa and received his first call-up to the senior England squad for their white-ball tour of the West Indies later that month.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c5y08137j54o|title=Chohan picked for Windies tour as Buttler returns|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=2 October 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/cricket/yorkshire-ccc-rising-star-jafer-chohan-pinching-himself-after-england-call-up-4807691|title=Yorkshire CCC rising star Jafer Chohan pinching himself after England call-up|publisher=Yorkshire Post|accessdate=2 October 2024}}{{cite web|title= Chohan among six newcomers in England Lions squad |website=BBC Sport|accessdate=12 December 2024|url= https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/articles/c0r8pj4xj1vo.amp |date=3 October 2024}}
Personal life
He is a Muslim and wears a chain necklace during matches, fitted with religious gemstones.{{cite web |last=Savage |first=Nic |date=12 December 2024 |title= ‘Who is this?’ Wild 36-month rise from uni third XI to BBL mystery man even experts didn’t know |url= https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket/jafer-chohans-wild-36month-rise-from-university-third-xi-trundler-to-big-bash-mystery-man/news-story/f17b14c5a9ea87d6032038384f7648f1 |accessdate=12 December 2024 |website=Foxsports.com.au}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Yorkshire County Cricket Club squad}}
{{London Spirit squad}}
{{Sydney Sixers current squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chohan, Jafer}}
Category:People educated at Harrow School
Category:Alumni of Loughborough University
Category:Sydney Sixers cricketers
Category:Cricketers from London
Category:21st-century English sportsmen
Category:English people of Pakistani descent