England fast-bowler Jamie Overton announced on Monday that he is taking an indefinite break from red-ball cricket, which effectively rules him out from the all-important Ashes series against Australia Down Under later this year.
In a post on social media, Overton said, “After a great deal of thought, I have decided to take an indefinite break from red ball cricket. I feel extremely fortunate to have played 99 first-class matches, including two Test matches for England.
“Red-ball, first-class cricket has provided the foundation for my professional career and has been the gateway to every opportunity I’ve ever had in the game so far. It’s where I learned the game, and it fuelled the goals and ambitions that have driven me for so long.
“However, at this stage of my career with demands of cricket across a 12-month calendar, it’s no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally. Going forward my focus will be on white-ball cricket, and I will continue to give everything to play at the highest level for as long as I can.”
Overton made his Test debut in 2022 and featured only in two Tests, with his last outing coming at the Oval against India in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar series. As of now, Overton is part of England’s white-ball squad and set to play against South Africa in the first ODI at Headingley on Tuesday.
Overton started his first-class career with Surrey in 2012. The 31-year-old has scored 2410 runs at an average of 21.51, including one century and 13 fifties. With the ball, he has picked 239 wickets at an average of 31.66 in 99 matches.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Overton said it was “no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally.”
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Brook shocked
England white ball captain Harry Brook termed his decision as a bit shocking but said one needs to respect the decision.
“A little bit shocked to be honest. I thought he did well in that last Test, he bowled quick. Obviously you’ve got to respect that decision that he’s going to have a little bit of a break from red-ball cricket. Hopefully at some point we’ll see him again in the future,” said Brook while speaking on the eve of the South Africa match.
“I’d heard rumours but I hadn’t heard it from him until today. You’ve just got to respect the decision, he obviously doesn’t feel like he wants to play red-ball cricket at the minute and we can’t do anything about it. He’s made the decision now but it’s unfortunate. I thought he did really well in that last Test match and it would have been nice to have him there in the Ashes,” he added.
