England all-rounder Jamie Overton is set to return to bowling action in today's (November 6) third ODI against West Indies, bringing to an end the experiment in the first match of the series which saw him play as a specialist batter at No.8.
Overton sustained a stress fracture to his back early in the summer while featuring in the first part of the County Championship for Surrey. The injury ruled him out of action for most of the English season, and put paid to his likely inclusion in England's T20 World Cup squad.
However, the right-arm quick did return to action in The Hundred and featured in the T20 Blast, but his role in those matches was limited to being a specialist batter. England have taken interest in Overton's white-ball batting record as well as his bowling, looking to use him as a lower-order hitter at No.8. From 99 T20 innings, Overton has 1,364 runs and averages just under 20, but with a strike rate of 160.47. In the opening ODI of the series in the Caribbean, Overton was selected to make his ODI debut in England's XI despite still being unable to bowl. He came in at No.8 as a specialist batter and was dismissed for a first-ball duck.
He was also used in a similar role during England's white-ball series against Australia at the end of the home summer. He came in at No.7 in the first and second T20Is, making 15 and 4* in the games respectively.
However, bowling is Overton's primary skill. He has 57 wickets from 43 List A appearances, with an economy rate of 6.28, and he marked his run up ahead of his recall for the third ODI. It's likely that England will look to use him in the middle overs, with Jofra Archer and Reece Topley set to take the new ball. England have plenty of options with the ball to reduce Overton's workload. Nine of their XI are capable of sending down overs, with Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone and Same Curran all batting in the top six.
The series is currently poised at 1-1 after England made a remarkable comeback following their defeat in the first ODI. Livingstone scored his maiden ODI century in the second ODI, and there are five T20Is to come between the two sides following the completion of the 50 over leg of the tour.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
