His only appearance in the whites came in 2022.
England head into the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the Oval with a 2-1 lead. The hosts just need to draw the game to secure a series win over India. They have made four changes to the playing XI for the Oval Test, with Ben Stokes missing out due to a shoulder injury.
After a grueling series that has had every game going into the final day, England needed fresh legs at the Oval. They have had Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse playing all four games while Jofra Archer played back-to-back Tests after a four-year layoff.
Ben Stokes will miss out on the final Test of the series with a right shoulder injury ❌
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 30, 2025
And we've made four changes to our side 👇
England had to bowl 257.1 overs in the Manchester Test across two innings. They were in the field for five sessions as India denied them a win. As a result, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse have been rested, with Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue, and Gus Atkinson coming into the playing XI.
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The Surrey all-rounder has played one Test for England back in 2022. He made 97 runs and picked up two scalps in that game. Overton hasn’t been in great form in domestic cricket, which makes this a perplexing decision.
Overton has played only two games in the ongoing County Championship season and has taken only two wickets at an average of 82. With the bat, he has scored 65 runs at an average of 21.66. These numbers are abysmal and how he can add value to the side is a big question mark.
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In a way, it is a typical Bazball selection. Head coach Brendon McCullum, RCB managing director Rob Key, and captain Stokes have shown in the past that they don’t give too much importance to the County Championship performances.
However, they have still had a method behind those selections. They back Zak Crawley to the hilt because he has an ability to score at a fast rate and looks great when he’s on song. They picked Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley for the India tour because of higher release points.
England have placed a strong emphasis on seamers with good pace. They have brought in Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue for their ability to bowl at around 140 kmph consistently.
Now in the Overton case, he neither has recent form to back him up nor does he possess good pace in his armoury. He is not known to be excellent at swinging the ball either, the way Woakes is. He is tall, yes, but his average bowling speed is around 127 to 130 kmph. The Oval has generally produced flat pitches and making any kind of impact on such a surface with that speed is not going to be an easy task.
Perhaps the only positive thing about Overton is that he adds batting depth. In a match where the onus of forcing a result will be on the opposition, his batting might come in handy.
England are ahead in the series and most of their first choice bowling options are worn out or injured. If we take that into account, the one-off selection seems acceptable. But it would be baffling if they decide to take him to Australia for the Ashes 2025 later this year.
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