England’s Jamie Overton not ruling out a return to Test cricket

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Jamie Overton revealed he would consider a return to red-ball cricket if he was approached by England’s new Test leadership team of captain Joe Root and head coach Stephen Fleming.

The fast-bowling all-rounder put his first-class career on hold at the end of last summer, just a few weeks after his second Test appearance, ruling himself out last winter’s Ashes series in Australia.

England are well stocked for pace options, but Fleming and new Test bowling coach Eric Simons are admirers of Overton, having worked with him for the last couple of years in the Indian Premier League.

Overton told the Press Association: “At the time it was an indefinite break. I’ve never said it’s going to be forever. The last 12-18 months I’ve just had, I’ve really focused on my white-ball cricket, so I’ve not really thought about it as a possibility.

“If Rooty or Flem came to me at the start of next year and said, ‘Would you be interested?’ I’d have to have a think about it because everything has gone really well in the last 12-18 months.

“My body is in a good place so I’d have to think about it, but I’ve never said it would be a ‘no’.”

Fleming has succeeded fellow New Zealander and close friend Brendon McCullum at the helm of the Test side and Overton enjoyed what he saw working at close quarters with him at Chennai Super Kings.

Overton said: “Flem as a character is very chilled, vey similar to Baz, actually, very calm and very clear about how he wants the game to be played.

“There were times this year where he was losing his hair with guys in the nets trying to slog it everywhere. He’s not going to want guys to go out and just blind slog.

“I feel he has that calm composure you need as a coach and he’s going to put it back on the guys to have the responsibility to play the way they want to play, but do it in the right way.”

Overton was a standout as England started their winter and one-day international tri-series in Pakistan with a heavy 87-run defeat in Rawalpindi, conceding just three fours and 38 runs in 10 overs.

He credited his work with Simons at CSK earlier this year for helping him tighten up his lines on pitches that are not necessarily conducive to the pace and bounce he offers.

The 32-year-old said: “When I first came to Asia, I dreaded the thought of bowling over here because I thought it would be really hard for the seamers, whereas now I actually really enjoy it.

“It’s a challenge but I find, when there’s big challenges, I get stuck in and I like that.

“As a youngster I was a bit all over the place trying to bowl as fast as I could, whereas now it feels quite easy in my action. I worked something out in the IPL earlier this year which helps me bowl the line I want to and I’m just trying to stick with that.”

Being used in the middle overs and bowling a good chunk of cross-seam deliveries has inevitably led to comparisons with Liam Plunkett, England’s enforcer during their 2019 World Cup triumph.

Even his team-mates have made the connection, but with the next 50-over World Cup on the horizon, Overton welcomes the role as he and England look to bounce back against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Overton added: “I looked at that 2019 squad and that is probably the role I am adapting and going towards. I have to do it my way, I can’t do it the way he did because we are different bowlers.

“All the lads are saying, ‘Come on Pudsey’ (Plunkett’s nickname) out on the field. He won a World Cup for England and that’s what I’m trying to do in southern Africa next year. If I can do his sort of role next year then they can call me whatever they want.”

England possible XI to face Sri Lanka: Banton, Duckett, Root, Brook (c), Cox (wk), Curran, Jacks, Overton, Atkinson, Rashid, Tongue.