By Andy Wilson
Mark Wood is to stay with the England Lions squad for the start of the one-day series against South Africa A. The Durham bowler replaces Craig Overton, who was in the one-day squad but will return to Somerset this week for management of an ankle injury.
Overton suffered a recurrence of the problem, which dates back to a LV= County Championship fixture at Taunton last September, when bowling in the nets in Bloemfontein ahead of the Lions’ second four-day match against South Africa A.
“Craig’s ankle issue requires further investigation which can be best achieved back in the UK under the care of the Somerset medical team and supported by the ECB,” said Ben Langley, the ECB National Lead Physiotherapist who is with the Lions on tour.
Harry Gurney, Samit Patel, Jason Roy, Stephen Parry and Ben Stokes are also due to link up this week with the Lions squad for the five-match one-day series, which starts in Bloemfontein next Sunday, with three members of the squad – Sam Robson, Adam Riley and Jonathan Trott– leaving the tour after the completion of the second four-day match.
Overton’s twin brother Jamie will be making the reverse journey next week as he heads for Potchefstroom as part of the ECB Potential England Performance Programme bowling group. He is one of six young fast bowlers who will spend three weeks working on strength, conditioning and bowling with a group of ECB coaches led by the former Durham seamer Neil Killeen, and including for the first time Jason Kerr, Somerset’s assistant and bowling coach – with the rest of the staff also drawn from the counties.
Jamie Overton will be joined by another Somerset bowler, Lewis Gregory, with Gloucestershire’s Craig Miles, Matt Hobden of Sussex, Northamptonshire’s Olly Stone and Harry Podmore of Middlesex completing the group.