Jordan Thompson has urged his Yorkshire team-mate Jafer Chohan to enjoy the Hundred and go and have a crack as he embarks on his first campaign with the Southern Brave.
Leg-spinner Chohan is one of nine Yorkshire players involved in the Hundred cross the eight teams but the only one to be heading into his maiden campaign.
The 21-year-old Londoner enjoyed an impressive breakthrough Vitality Blast campaign with the county earlier this summer, with his five wickets split across some metronomic spells – 1-13, 1-14 and 1-16, for example.
He was picked up as a wildcard selection by the Brave, alongside fast bowler Matthew Fisher.
Thompson is returning for a second year with London Spirit.
The competition starts tomorrow, with the Brave travelling to the Trent Rockets. The Headingley-based Northern Superchargers host Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday evening (6.30pm) in their first game.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Jafer Chohan celebrates after taking the wicket of Lancashire’s Daryl Mitchell in this season’s Blast.
“Jaf was really good in the Blast,” said Thompson.
“He came into the team afresh. He held his nerve and did really well, bowling some big overs at times.
“He was a credit to himself and absolutely deserves his opportunity at Southern Brave.
“People will do their homework on him, but they still have to play him. I’d just say, ‘Back your skills and go out and enjoy it’. It’s the best way.”
Chohan will be coached by former Yorkshire overseas batter Stephen Fleming, the former New Zealand captain and franchise league coach for hire.
Captained by James Vince, England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed is also in their squad.
Thompson, meanwhile, returns to Lord’s with the London Spirt for his second season with them.
He had an excellent campaign with them last year, claiming 14 wickets – the joint best haul in the competition as they were beaten in the semi-final eliminator.
They will be coached by Trevor Bayliss and captained by Dan Lawrence, who has replaced retired England legend Eoin Morgan.
“It was a new team for me, I really enjoyed it and they were a great set of lads,” said Thompson. “I’m really looking forward to getting back there next week.
“Hopefully we can get off to a good start and have a strong competition.
Jordan Thompson. Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images.
“The style we had last year will be similar with Trevor Bayliss still coach. I’m sure the stuff we took on under Morgs will be the same under Dan.
“We’ll see what the shape of the team is, but we’ve got some strong players in there. We’ll be looking to make hay over the next few weeks.”
Thompson was asked to assess the runners and riders in this summer’s men’s Hundred, which finishes with a Lord’s final on August 27.
“It’s a tricky one,” he said. “Welsh Fire, for example, have recruited heavily after two years of struggling. They’ve started afresh and have picked some big names up (former Yorkshire duo Haris Rauf and David Willey have moved to Cardiff).
“Whoever gets going quickly can get some momentum going. I don’t think you write anybody off. It’s a really tricky comp to go, ‘They’re gonna go and win it’.
“You look at Southern Brave. They won it the first year and looked a strong team and then struggled last year. We struggled the first year and then lost in the semi-final last.
“All the teams look strong, so I won’t go and make any guesses.”
Thompson, 26, is now a regular on the global franchise circuit – and he loves it.
He has played in Australia, the UAE and Pakistan over the last few years and will is set for a busy winter once more.
“Being stuck indoors all the time, it can drain you,” he said.
“Any franchise chance is a great opportunity, and I love going away and playing with a different set of lads and then come back here and seeing some fresh faces.
“I’ve re-signed again in Dubai with the MI Emirates. That’s back to them in January, and that’s a great opportunity for me to go out there to a franchise I know well.
“The set-up’s awesome there under the Mumbai Indians name.
“Even though I didn’t play much with them last year, it was like being away on a pre-season camp working hard in training. It’s great prep for me, playing or not.
“I’d like to think I’d also be back in the T10 in November if that opportunity arises.”
Thompson has come a long way since his first overseas opportunity with Hobart Hurricanes in the Australian Big Bash League in 2021/2022.
He claimed eight wickets in 11 matches, bowling better than that haul suggest, but he only scored 52 runs in eight innings. It was a tough baptism of fire, for the reason of him getting caught up in issues around Covid as a close contact as much as anything else.
“I’d definitely like another crack at the Big Bash,” he added.
“It was my first overseas tournament when I went over.
“I wouldn’t say that I didn’t know what to expect, but it was about getting used to those conditions and the pressures of being a franchise overseas player.
“But you need that experience to learn from it, and I think I’ve done that.”
The Yorkshire players involved in the Hundred are: Jonny Bairstow (Welsh Fire), Harry Brook, Adam Lyth and Adil Rashid (all Northern Superchargers), Jafer Chohan and Matthew Fisher (both Southern Brave), Dawid Malan and Joe Root (both Trent Rockets), Jordan Thompson (London Spirit).
