He will join a seam attack led by Jamie Porter and Sam Cook, who have taken a combined total of 899 first-class wickets, backed up primarily by Shane Snater and another winter signing, Mitchell Killeen.

There will be no return to Chelmsford in 2026 for New Zealand all-rounder Doug Bracewell, though, after he recently announced his retirement.

Akhter says he hopes to offer “a bit of pace, a game-changing spell and a some handy runs with the bat”.

He came through the South Asian Cricket Academy, a non-profit organisation set up to address the lack of representation of British South Asians in professional cricket.

Akhter did not make his first-class debut until he was 24, having experienced back problems as a younger bowler.

“I had stress fractures when I was 18 in my lower back and then had another back problem in that season I was trialling with Essex,” he said.

“When you’re not on the staff, you can’t really speak to physios or anything. So I was getting external help, which was amazing and got me back on the pitch.

“I had to turn a few games down in the middle of the season to get myself right but those little setbacks when I was younger gave me a bit more time to understand my own game, figuring a few things out myself.

“You see now guys making Test debuts past the age of 30, so if you don’t get signed at 18, it’s not the end of the world.”

Essex start the 2026 season with an away Championship game against Hampshire on 3 April.