London, May 31 (IANS) England all-rounder Jamie Overton has been ruled out of the remaining ODIs and upcoming T20I series against the West Indies due to a broken right little finger.
Overton sustained the injury during England’s first ODI victory at Edgbaston on Thursday after he spilled a fast-travelling return catch off Keacy Carty and immediately sprinted off the field for treatment.
Jacob Bethell stepped in to complete Overton’s over and later returned to the field despite having his finger heavily strapped. He made a significant impact by taking three late wickets, finishing with England’s best bowling figures of 3 for 22 in 5.2 overs. Initially thought to be a dislocation, his injury has now been confirmed as a fracture.
“He will now undergo a period of rehabilitation under the supervision of the England medical team. No replacement will be added to the ODI squad,” the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
“That was a very phenomenal performance from the boys. Same thing I have been saying to the press. Just score big runs as a batting unit. Bowl to the dimensions as a bowling unit. As a fielding unit, just stay committed and chase the ball. Four of us got fifty-plus and it was a complete performance. I think we got so much power as well. Set the template beautifully. The tempo of the innings was spot on. There was lot of energy on the ball. Mahmood bowled beautifully. Same with Overton. Nice to get the series underway in good fashion,” said England white-ball captain Harry Brook after securing a win on his leadership debut.
Matthew Potts and Lancashire’s left-arm seamer Luke Wood are the reserve fast-bowling options under consideration while left-arm spinner Tom Hartley is also in the mix.
The second of the three ODIs will be held in Cardiff on Sunday, with the series wrapping up at the Oval on Tuesday. The first T20I is scheduled to begin in Chester-le-Street on June 6.
–IANS
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