19 January 2023 , 09:23
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Jamie Overton has become the latest England seamer to be sidelined with a stress fracture of the back, with the 28-year-old now expected to miss the Ashes.
After not featuring in England's historic 3-0 series win over Pakistan in December, Overton travelled to the United Arab Emirates where he was due to feature for Gulf Giants in the inaugural edition of the ILT20.
However, he has since returned to the UK without playing a game and has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the lumbar spine. In a statement, Surrey did not put a timeframe on his rehabilitation, but it appears unlikely Overton will be back in time for the Ashes.
At the start of last summer, England had five seamers recovering from a stress fracture of the back, with Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Olly Stone, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher all affected.
All five are now back playing cricket, with Archer, Stone and Curran set to feature in the ODI series against South Africa later this month and Mahmood and Fisher both named in the England Lions squad which will face Sri Lanka A.
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Overton, who is on an ECB Pace Bowling development contract, made his Test debut against New Zealand in June and notably scored a brilliant 97 in the first innings as England won the match by seven wickets.
Overton made his Test debut against New Zealand in June and scored a brilliant 97 (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)He was also a crucial performer for Surrey as they won the County Championship, picking up 34 wickets at an average of 25.64 and scoring 355 runs at 29.58.
It is the second time Overton has been sidelined with a stress fracture of the back, having suffered one in 2016 as a 22-year-old prospect at Somerset that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Despite being part of the squad which travelled to Pakistan, Overton was not picked for the upcoming two-Test tour of New Zealand with Stone back fully fit, Stuart Broad returning from paternity leave and Matthew Potts given a recall.