Jamie Overton to join his twin Craig in England ODI squad
Wednesday 17 June 2015 18:31, UK
Somerset bowler Jamie Overton has been called into the England squad for the final two Royal London one-day Internationals against New Zealand as a replacement for Liam Plunkett.
The 21-year-old right-arm seamer joins his twin brother and county team-mate Craig in the squad after he was called up at the weekend following an injury to Chris Jordan.
Jordan (side strain) and Plunkett (thigh injury) were ruled out of the remainder of the five-match series following New Zealand’s win in the second match last Friday.
England have earned plaudits for their enterprising play in the series but are trailing 2-1 after the World Cup finalists followed up Friday’s win with a three-wicket success on Sunday.
And the Overton brothers are now in contention for England debuts, with the remaining matches in the series scheduled for Trent Bridge on Wednesday and Chester-le-Street on Saturday.
The twins will vie for places with Steven Finn, Mark Wood and David Willey, who comprised the seam attack at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday, along with all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Experienced duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad have not retired from one-day cricket but are being rested ahead of the upcoming Ashes series.
And the selection of the Overtons, with a combined tally of 29 List A appearances for Somerset between them, continues England's current policy of building a young one-day squad with an eye towards the 2019 World Cup.
Jamie, the younger of the twins by three minutes, was first named in the England squad when he was 19, for the 2013 one-day series against Australia, although he did not play in any of the matches.
Blessed with height - he is 6ft 5in tall - and impressive pace, he was hampered by injuries and inconsistency last season but has bounced back to produce some promising displays this year and remains a very exciting prospect.
He has a good record in List A cricket, with 20 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 27.
Jamie Overton said: "It's been an interesting week for all of us.
Jamie has been bowling quick. None of the boys have been looking forward to facing him in the nets, put it that way - especially me, because he always gives me a bit of extra brotherly love!
"I gave Craig a ring and said I'd see him in Nottingham. Then I spoke to our parents and obviously they are very happy as well.
"Craig's been bowling fantastically and his call-up was rightly deserved.
"I saw a stat the other day that he's the only player in the country who's taken 20 wickets at less than 20, as well as scoring 200 runs, which shows he's one of the best all-rounders."
And Craig added: "Jamie has been bowling quick.
"None of the boys have been looking forward to facing him in the nets, put it that way - especially me, because he always gives me a bit of extra brotherly love!
"Most of the time with Somerset it's seemed like only one of us has been picked, or one or other of us has been injured.
"But we've been playing together since we were about five, so we still know each other's games pretty well.
"We're both pretty happy. We've only spoken briefly, but I'm looking forward to meeting up with him."
