England’s Overton twins Craig and Jamie hope for slice of history at Headingley

The last time the Overton twins shared a field it ended up with elder brother Craig nursing a concussion, but he and Jamie are hoping to make happier memories, and a slice of history, at Headingley this week.

The 6ft 5in seamers are standing by should England decide to rotate their pace attack during the third and final LV= Insurance Test against New Zealand, with the series already secure and a one-off clash against India following close at hand.

For the uncapped Jamie, who is the younger sibling by three minutes, it is uncharted territory, while Craig is hoping to add to his eight previous caps.

The duo have played together numerous times over the years, with North Devon, Somerset and England Under-19s, but came head to head in first-class cricket for the first time just a matter of days ago.

Jamie, who left Taunton for Surrey in 2020, struck his brother on the helmet with a rapid bouncer during a county championship match last week leading to a delayed concussion diagnosis.

Craig was substituted out of the match and had to pass return-to-play protocols on Tuesday morning before taking part in England’s training session.

“I think any sibling rivalry is always going to have a bit of extra spice and me and Craig are probably even spicier than most people,” said Jamie.

“It’s always gonna heat up a little bit when we play each other, but that competitive edge is a nice thing. The family obviously didn’t like seeing Craig on the floor but I think they would have told us off it we weren’t giving our all; if we didn’t, Dad would definitely tell us off.”

Craig is quick to claim he was beaten for “lack of pace” and was simply too early on the pull, but also admits Jamie is the fastest bowler he has faced this season.

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