We often talk about players who shine with the bat on their first international outing but those who miss out on such milestones don’t usually get the credit they deserve. Today, England bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton found himself in that position as he was dismissed for 97 in the 1st innings of the 3rd Test against New Zealand.
England had already won the Test series and they decided to give Overton a Test debut, and he surely made it count immediately. More known for his bowling than his ability to bat, Overton got England out of a horrible spot of bother, scoring a fantastic counter-attacking innings when he came out to bat at 55/6.
Jamie Overton gets 97 on debut innings
A lot of records went tumbling as Overton and Jonny Bairstow put up a 241-run partnership for the seventh wicket. And they scored runs at a great pace too. Towards the end of the second day’s play, Bairstow managed to convert to a century but his partner was in the late eighties. He came out on Day 3 and was struggling to find the rhythm he had yesterday.
He needed just 11 runs on Day 3 to get to a maiden Test century but he wasn’t able to get runs this morning. He hit one boundary but was beaten on a number of occasions, until Trent Boult finally managed to get the outside edge, which was pocketed easily at one of the slip positions; Overton ended three runs short of a well deserved personal milestone.
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The best part was the reactions and no one seemed to be happy when he was dismissed. We’re sure the Kiwi fielders would’ve also felt for Overton, and England captain Ben Stokes was also seen dropping his head in sadness in the team balcony. Even batting partner Bairstow was disappointed, running up to Overton and hugging up with some words of encouragement. See here:
Hold your head high, Jamie.
A sensational innings and a record-breaking partnership when we needed it most.
Those three runs don’t change any of that.
🏴 #ENGvNZ 🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/nzny37oj1s
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 25, 2022
His innings changed the game for the hosts as they were at one point struggling to even avoid the follow-on. Suddenly, they were in the driver’s seat and he can hold his head up high. However, the disappointment was visible as he walked off at Headingley, with the crowd standing and applauding what he has done in this game.
And there’s still so much time in this Test for him to do a good job with the ball and impress there as well. He gets a few wickets in the 2nd innings and he may even be a contender to be awarded the Man of the Match. After his dismissal, Bairstow continued to smash a few boundaries, bringing up the second fastest 150 score by an Englishman, after Ben Stokes.
Stuart Broad also came out and had some fun with the bat as England took the 1st innings lead! For more updates from the 2022 New Zealand tour of England and the world of sports and cricket, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com.
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