Zaman Akhter’s standout performance for the England Lions highlights the need to give British South Asian cricketers a fair chance in the professional game.
Josh Hull was a standout performer in the England Lions’ victory over Sri Lanka last month, with the towering Leicestershire left-armer, standing at 6ft 7in, earning a Test call-up after taking five wickets in the match. But the real headline belonged to Zaman Akhter and the South Asian Cricket Academy.
Akhter, another imposing fast bowler, delivered a remarkable seven-wicket haul for the Lions, showcasing the success of a career sparked by the Academy just 18 months earlier. At 23, he had already played first-class cricket for Oxford MCCU and cycled through the second XI with Derbyshire, Warwickshire, and Essex. He was in search of that crucial opportunity, and the Academy provided it.
Bridging the Gap: The South Asian Cricket Academy’s Impact
Tom Brown, managing director of the South Asian Cricket Academy, founded the program based on his PhD research at Birmingham City University. His research highlighted the stark under-representation of British South Asians in professional cricket and exposed systemic biases.
Brown discovered that white privately-educated British male cricketers were 34 times more likely to play professionally than state-educated British South Asians. Determined to address this disparity, Brown took action.
The Academy, conceived by Brown and former England bowler Kabir Ali, is now in its third year. It provides South Asian cricketers aged 18 and over with opportunities to compete against county second XIs. Impress the opposition, secure a trial, and a professional contract could follow.
Zaman Akhter joined the Academy at the beginning of 2023, moving into a shared house in Birmingham with other top prospects and training at Edgbaston for the summer. He quickly caught attention during a showcase day in Leyton that February, where his impressive performance led to interest from multiple counties. By the end of March, Gloucestershire had signed him.
The South Asian Cricket Academy: From Vision to Reality
Since joining the South Asian Cricket Academy, Zaman Akhter has made appearances in all three formats for Gloucestershire, including notable wickets of Joe Root and Harry Brook against Yorkshire earlier this season. His promising performances have earned him a chance with the England Lions, despite a modest red-ball record.
“What’s really cool about the current England administration is they’re clearly not just looking at county averages,” says Tom Brown, the Academy’s managing director. “You don’t need a long first-class career to knock on the England door. If you’re exciting and talented, you seem to get through.”
Akhter is not the only success story. Kashif Ali, the program’s first “graduate,” is averaging over 50 with the bat in Division One for Worcestershire this year. Leg-spinner Jafer Chohan recently secured a Big Bash contract following a strong Blast season for Yorkshire.
Zen Malik, the Academy’s 10th player to sign professional terms, made his first-team debut for Warwickshire last month.
When Spin first spoke with Brown two years ago, the program operated on a limited budget, awaiting support from the ECB. That support arrived last year with a partnership announcement, which has allowed the Academy to expand.
This past winter, three regional hubs were established in Birmingham, Bristol, and Bradford, where players live together and benefit from each hub’s team of coaches. Brown, who handles multiple roles from social media to coaching, is currently managing around 65 players.
A New Era: The South Asian Cricket Academy’s Impact and Vision
“So many people want to get involved, but we can only pick 12 on any given day,” says Tom Brown. “Our standout moment so far was when we played Yorkshire and Essex second XIs simultaneously, with 15 of our players trialing. We had 39 of our players on the field, won a 50-over game against Yorkshire, a three-day game against Essex, and gave all those boys a chance to showcase their skills.”
Brown established the Academy as an “intervention” scheme, designed to run for three to six years while the professional game worked to address the under-representation of British South Asians. Despite the Academy’s success, Brown aims to conclude the program after five years. “We’ve proven the point: there’s talent out there,” he explains.
“These players are making it to England Lions, The Hundred, and beyond. The goal is to end the program once we’ve shown that change is possible. If we continue beyond that, we risk not solving the problem but becoming a crutch. The real aim is to transform the system.”
The South Asian Cricket Academy: Addressing Late Bloomers and Future Challenges
Another crucial message from the Academy is the need for greater focus on late bloomers in cricket. “We’re probably the best over-18s program available right now,” says Tom Brown, highlighting the decline of other initiatives like MCC Young Cricketers and Unicorns, which once offered pathways for older players seeking county cricket opportunities.
“We still have 10 or 11 players who should be playing professionally right now, but even with us, it’s challenging to get them through the door.”
The Academy also aims to address the lack of representation in women’s cricket. They are currently supporting PhD research at Birmingham City University into the challenges faced by British South Asian women in the sport. “We know the women’s game is as poorly represented as the men’s, if not worse,” says Brown.
“The goal is to identify the specific reasons behind this disparity.” This research may lead to another “intervention” program, underscoring that comprehensive reform in English cricket will take time.
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