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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1994-04-10)10 April 1994 (age 31) Barnstaple,Devon, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armmedium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowlingall-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Jamie Overton (twin brother) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 681) | 2 December 2017 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 24 March 2022 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 249) | 21 June 2018 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 17 July 2022 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–present | Somerset(squad no. 7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–present | Southern Brave | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024/25 | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,27 September 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Craig Overton (born 10 April 1994) is an Englishcricketer who plays forSomerset andEngland. He is an all-rounder who bowls right-arm medium-fast and bats right-handed.[1] He made his international debut forEngland in December 2017.[2] His twin brotherJamie Overton also plays cricket forEngland.
Overton made his first-team debut for Somerset in the2012 County Championship againstLancashire.[3] He played seven County Championship games in 2012, taking 12 wickets at an average of 30.25.[4] He also scored 75 runs at 10.71; scoring his maiden first-class half-century in the process.[5] Overton also made hisList A debut in the same year.
Overton was unable to play throughout much of the 2013 season due to a stress fracture of the back. He managed to play a single first-class match in which he took just a single wicket.[6]
The 2014 season saw Overton become a regular selection for the first-team as he played 27 matches across all three formats. His batting improved greatly as he scored 431 runs in the County Championship in which he averaged 30.78 while also taking 42 wickets at 28.52.[7] In a game againstLancashire, Overton fell short of making his maiden first-class century; given out while on 99.[8]Making his debut in thetwenty20 format, Overton struggled with both bat and ball taking just four wickets and scoring a total of 35 runs from 10 matches.[9]
In 2015, Overton was the leading wicket-taker for Somerset in both theCounty Championship and theOne Day Cup taking 47 and 12 wickets respectively.[10][11] He continued his batting form in the longer form of the game as he averaged 28.38 in 16 County Championship innings.
During a County Championship match againstSussex in September 2015, Overton said "go back to your own fucking country" to Pakistani batsmanAshar Zaidi whilst bowling. The incident was considered racist by some but the Cricket Discipline Commission punished him only for using abusive language. It was his third minor offence—following another report for abusive language in the previous match and physical contact in May—and Overton received an automatic two-match ban. Zaidi later called on Overton to apologise.[12][13][14][15]
Overton enjoyed another successful season in 2016 as he again made over 400 runs and took 34 wickets in the County Championship.[16] During a Championship game againstHampshire, Overton made his maiden first-class century, scoring 138 as part of a stand of 217 for the eighth wicket withRoelof van der Merwe. This set a new record for the eighth wicket for Somerset, beating the previous record of 172 made byIan Botham andViv Richards in 1983,[17] although the record was surpassed byPeter Trego andRyan Davies in Somerset's next game.[18]
In 2021, he was drafted bySouthern Brave for theinaugural season ofThe Hundred.[19] He played for them in 3 matches, picking up 3 wickets in total. In April 2022, he was bought by theSouthern Brave for the2022 season ofThe Hundred.[20] The following month, in the2022 County Championship, Overton took his 400th wicket in first-class cricket.[21]
Overton first played international cricket forEngland Under-19s playing a total of 16 youth ODIs between 2011 and 2012. He scored a total of 350 runs at an average of 26.92 with a high score of 68* as well as taking 14 wickets at 35.57.[22]
Overton received his first international call-up in June 2015 when he was selected as cover forChris Jordan forEngland's thirdOne Day International (ODI) againstNew Zealand.[23]
In June 2017, Overton was named in England'sTwenty20 International (T20I) squad for the seriesagainst South Africa.[24]
In September 2017, Overton was named in England'sTest squad for the2017–18 Ashes series.[25] He made his Test debut in the second Test atAdelaide, on 2 December 2017.[26] He claimed Australian captainSteve Smith as his first Test wicket.[27] In February 2018, he was added to England's ODI squad for their seriesagainst New Zealand, afterLiam Plunkett was ruled out due to an injury.[28] He made his ODI debut for Englandagainst Australia on 21 June 2018.[29]
Overton replacedChris Woakes for thefourth 2019 Ashes Test. In the first innings, he was brought into bat at number 3 as anightwatchman after the early dismissal ofJoe Denly.[30]
On 29 May 2020, Overton was named in a 55-man group of players to begin training ahead of international fixtures starting in England following theCOVID-19 pandemic.[31][32] On 17 June 2020, Overton was included in England's 30-man squad to start trainingbehind closed doors for theTest seriesagainst the West Indies.[33][34] On 4 July 2020, Overton was named as one of the nine reserve players for the first Test match of the series.[35][36]
On 30 July 2021, inEngland vs India's series, England'sBen Stokes announced that he would be taking an "indefinite break" from cricket. Overton was added to England's squad as his replacement.[37]