Jamie Overton fell agonisingly short of a century on Test debut
(Picture: Getty Images)Jamie Overton admitted he spent the night “tossing and turning” before being dismissed for 97 on an eventful Test debut.
England’s No8 Overton shared a remarkable 241 from 274 balls with Jonny Bairstow to help them recover from 55 for six and record a first innings lead.
There was heartbreak for Overton, though, as he fells three runs shy of a century on debut. He did record the highest score on debut by an England player batting No8 or lower.
“I didn’t sleep great,” he said. “I was tossing and turning quite a lot. It’s just one of those things. Was always going to be a little bit nervous but I felt in a great place this morning I just didn’t get over the line. The ball was there to hit and I didn’t quite get it right.
“I was very disappointed getting out for 97, but Jonny and I put us in a great position in the game and that knock from Broady gave us a 30-run lead. It was disappointing but I felt like I contributed more than enough to the team.”
Asked about his emotions, Overton said: “I think you can look at it both ways. Obviously delighted to get 97 in the 1st place, I didn’t think I’d get anywhere near that, especially after us being 55 for six.
“So I think it was just trying to build a partnership with Jonny and we managed to build a really big one. That’s key and it’s put is in a great position going forward in the game.”
As Overton walked off the field, Bairstow put an arm round him and congratulated him.
“Jonny just said ‘soak it all up, you played a great knock’. It’s frustrating but soak it all in,” he said.
Overton took a vital wicket later on, with Tom Latham caught behind, then hit Devon Conway on the head.
