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Bolter, wildcard, specialist No. 8: Jamie Overton's rapid rise

Jamie Overton celebrates with Jos Buttler after another wicket Getty Images

In the seminal cult classic Friends, characters Joey and Chandler buy a pet duck for their flat. They don't really know what they want to do with said duck, or how exactly they're going to look after it, but they know they like it.

Jamie Overton is England's pet duck. They have no idea what they want from him, or how they're going to take care of him, but they like him. And for now that's enough.

Overton is an exceptionally modern cricketer. A career-long bowling allrounder with a hulking 6ft 5in frame, a series of stress fractures (and move to Surrey) has seen the balance of his worth shift.

For the past five seasons in the T20 Blast, his batting strike rate has never dipped below 167. In 2020 and 2022, it was above 180. During last season's Hundred, he made 83 not out off 30 balls against a bowling attack containing England team-mates Reece Topley, Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse.

Mixed in with an ability to bowl heavy-length seamers and catch flies, he has become an increasingly attractive option on the franchise market.

"Last year at the Adelaide Strikers, I spoke to one of the analysts halfway through the tournament and he was like, 'yeah, we didn't really pick you for your bowling'," he says.

"I'm just enjoying the ride really. If you said to me five years ago I'd be playing for England just as a batter, I'd have been like yeah, whatever."

Until a month ago, Jamie Overton had only ever played once for England (you're thinking of his brother, Craig): a Test in 2022 against New Zealand where he made 97 with the bat from No. 8 in one of the early Bazball miracles. But stress fractures in 2023 and 2024 hit pause on a promising start to his international career.

Overton's stress fractures didn't require surgery, but did require a change in lifestyle. In an attempt to "get everything right" and lessen the load going through his back when bowling, he has lost 10kg through a combination of cycling and moving on to prepped meals.

"I've always eaten pretty well, but the quantity was always a bit too much," he said to warm nods of agreement from all round the world.

Counterintuitively though, his time away from bowling saw his stock rise as he was able to further prove his worth with the bat. Overton's worth with the ball was known, but with the bat it wasn't - and over the past two seasons, he has played as a specialist batter for Surrey in T20 cricket.

Such was Overton's jump in value that before the second of his stress fractures earlier this year, he was set to be a bolter for the T20 World Cup squad, with Rob Key liking what he saw.

"It gives you massive confidence," Overton said of Key's support. "I was chatting to him before the series, and he was just like, 'we back you'. Just go out and do what you do."

Such is England's keenness on Overton, he debuted in ODI cricket at No. 8 and didn't bowl. In part, his absence with the ball on that occasion was due to England's meagre total of 209, but in the second T20 played at Barbados, which was just one day after the first, Overton was picked as a specialist No. 8 with no intention to bowl him.

"It felt a little bit like I shouldn't be there," Overton said of his sometimes unique space in the team. "But then I think they're looking at the big picture. They see me bowling and batting at eight. So it's trying to get me in that role."

During the Hundred last year, Overton's ability to clear the ropes meant his team-mates started jokingly referring to him as Dre Russ. Overton isn't sure who started that one, but after his dipping slower ball to dismiss Romario Shepherd in the third T20I, his England team-mates have started referring to him as another West Indian legend: DJ Bravo.

"They're some of the best T20 players in the world," Overton says of the comparisons. "So if you can do anything that's near their ability, then I'm over the moon."

The ball that got Shepherd out was the result of time spent with Surrey coach Neil Killeen, who Overton had been working with on bowling several different offcutters and in particular trying to bowl them slower. By his own admission, he isn't able to bowl a legcutter, so the goal is to have as many different styles of offcutter in his armoury to make up for it.

In the space of a month, Overton has leapfrogged from outside the international circle, to a wildcard, joker selection where England think they have something special.

T20s are often won by moments of individual brilliance. A flurry of wickets or sixes, or an amazing catch at slip in the powerplay or long-on at the death. Overton ticks all those boxes. Ultimately, no-one knows how the Overton adventure will end, but they do know it'll be fun to watch along the way.