No reason why Dom Bess can't play for England again says Yorkshire boss Darren Gough

The county’s director of cricket Darren Gough believes that Bess can come again at international level almost two years since he last played for England.

Gough’s recruitment of Jafer Chohan, a 20-year-old leg-spinner on a one-year rookie contract, announced on Thursday, could help to drive Bess on as well.

Chohan is joining Yorkshire next week to swell slow bowling stocks that include England leg-spinner Adil Rashid and off-spinner Jack Shutt, and he will be available for all matches from the start of the season.

While Chohan, a product of the Middlesex youth system, targets a maiden appearance at first-team level, having been part of the Loughborough UCCE scheme and the South Asian Cricket Academy, Bess, 25, is hoping to resurrect an international career in abeyance since he won the last of his 14 Test caps in March 2021.

Since then, England have preferred the spin bowling skills of Moeen Ali, Jack Leach, Matt Parkinson, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed in the five-day format, with assistance from such as Joe Root and Dan Lawrence.

Although Leach is considered the premier spinner, albeit with Ahmed impressing greatly with seven wickets on debut against Pakistan in Karachi last month, Gough believes it would be remiss to forget about Bess.

The Devon-born off-spinner actually has a superior Test average to that of Leach (33.97 against 34.25) and is a better batsman too, with 12 half-centuries and a hundred to his name in first-class cricket.

“Dom has definitely got the talent to play for England again,” said Gough.

“He perhaps struggled at times last season and was probably affected by events at the club last winter.

“But he also bowled very economically on some very flat pitches as far as spinners are concerned.

“I like him. I like his attitude and his character. He is also a fine batsman. He has plenty to offer.

“It’s difficult for spinners to make much of an impression with England these days due to the abundance of pace/seam bowling options - Broad, Anderson, Wood, Archer when fit, Robinson, Stokes, you name it.

“But Dom can definitely come again in my opinion and I thought he was unlucky not to be named on the Lions trip, too.”

Bess was overlooked for the month-long Lions tour to Sri Lanka that starts on January 25, with pace bowler Matty Fisher Yorkshire’s sole representative in both the 16-man Test and ODI squads.

Gough believes England have perhaps read too much into Bess’s statistics in last summer's County Championship (36 wickets at 42.91), figures not helped by some of the pitches that he bowled on and which should not mask a respectable return with the bat (499 runs at 29.35).

Gough has been impressed with Bess’s determination to work hard on his game in recent weeks.

The youngster has been playing grade cricket in Sydney as he attempts to hit the ground running in 2023.

Meanwhile, Gough is delighted to have recruited leg-spinner Chohan, whom Yorkshire had been monitoring for some time.

Chohan helped Berkshire to the National Counties 50-over title last August, his performances earning him a place on the South Asian Cricket Academy programme, where he showcased his talents against county second teams.

In November, Chohan impressed at the Academy’s open day at the Adil Rashid Cricket Centre and he was invited to trial with Yorkshire.

Gough speaks warmly of a man who will provide an intriguing option in the coming months.

“We are thrilled to have signed Jafer for the 2023 season having been impressed over the last few months,” said Gough.

“He is an impressive player with a unique skillset and I look forward to seeing what he can do in a Yorkshire shirt in 2023.”

Dr Tom Brown, the SACA co-founder and managing director, remarked: “We’re delighted for Jafer and very excited to see what he can do now he has the chance to showcase his skills on the professional circuit.

“We’d like to thank Yorkshire for giving him this opportunity and look forward to seeing him in action for the White Rose in 2023.”

Yorkshire have announced a 16-strong Academy and Emerging Players’ Programme intake for 2023.

James Lowe, the Academy head coach, led the selection of eight players across each category.

Academy intake: Will Bennison, Alex Cree, Josh Hoyle, Noah Kelly, Isaac Light, Charlie McMurran, Harvey Round, Alex Wade.

Emerging Players’ Programme intake: Jawad Akhtar, Ed Burch, Noah Chapman, Josh Hen-Boisen, Louie Owens, Jack Redshaw, Owen Smith, Joe Thompson.