Essex has joined Gloucestershire’s seam bowling all-rounder Zaman Akhter on a three-year deal from next season.

The 26-year-old is an England Lions international and made his debut for Gloucestershire in 2023 after graduating from the South Asian Cricket Academy.

Akhter has picked 4/33 in his third first-class match, agianst Leicestershire, and claimed his first five-wicket haul (5/89) on the opening day of the 2024 County Championship game against Yorkshire.

Zaman is the fourth Gloucestershire quick to announce their departure in recent weeks. Ajeet Singh Dale will join Lancashire at th end of the season, while Tom Price and Dom Goodman are making the switch to Sussex.

He has taken 70 first-class wickets at an average of 40.74 and averages 23.41 with the bat, while his first appearance for the Lions saw him take 5-32 against Sri Lanka.

Zaman Akhter has been excited over his joining Essex. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Essex. It’s a great club with a rich history and a strong winning culture, and I can’t wait to get started.

“I’m really looking forward to contributing on and off the field, learning from some outstanding players and coaches. Speaking to Chris Silverwood, it’s a really exciting time and hopefully I can thrive at Essex to help contribute to their future success.”

Speaking on his joining, director of cricket Silverwood said. “We are really excited to bring ‘Zum’ into the group. He is a player we’ve had our eye on for a while and we really believe his quality will add and strengthen our bowling group.”

“I look forward to working closely with Zaman over the winter period when we prepare for the 2026 season, integrating him into the squad and our plans for the season ahead.”

On Zaman Akhter’s exit, Head coach Mark Alleyne said, “Zaman’s bowling career is following a promising trajectory, with opportunities in and around the England Lions group during the winter, as well as in some first-class games where he has contributed well.

“Living in Cambridge, Essex has always been an attractive pull for Zaman, and after a big and similar fight last year, we were able to convince him to stay.  No such luck this year, as he became a bigger attraction with improvements across all his skill sets.

“Although we are disappointed, it is important that the players look to realise their ambitions, and sometimes that just does not lie within our Club. Responsibly, though, we will support him as he continues his cricketing journey, and we are very proud to have created this initial opportunity,” Gloucestershire Head coach Mark Alleyne.