Battling through the pain is in my nature: Craig Overton

English pacer Craig Overton played through pain during the recently concluded Perth Test against Australia in the Ashes 2017-18. Overton had a fractured rib during the game and continued to bowl in the fixture despite the major scare. After the game, he conceded that playing through pain was something that he had been accustomed to.

As per the quotes in ESPNcricinfo, Craig Overton noted that the beatings he had got from his twin brother, Jamie, as a young kid helped him bear pain. He noted that this imbibed the fighting spirit in him and this was perhaps the reason why he did not feel the pain despite being injured in the match.

“Battling through the pain is in my nature. Growing up as a kid, with Jamie hitting me, it was always a case of ‘Get on with it’ really. You never want to show too much pain,” quoted Craig Overton.

“We’re fighters down in Somerset, that’s how we play our cricket. It was painful, but not too bad. Even though I didn’t bowl that many overs, I could still bowl some that the other boys didn’t have to. That was the aim, just to get through this game really,” he added.

Adding further on the same note, he reiterated that fighting the pain is something that he is used to be doing. He does not feel like leaving the field. Had the injury been something that would have halted his movements, then the case would have been different. It was on the fourth day of the game when he had to walk out of the park following an awkward dive in the field.

“I’ve been brought up to fight through the pain, and I’m not the sort to leave the field for nothing. It would have taken a broken leg or something that prevented me standing to stop me batting to try to save the game. All you can do is dose yourself up and try to get through it,” mentioned Overton.

“But then, just before lunch on the fourth day, I had to leave the field after one dive too many in the deep. The team doctor warned me it could become much worse if I landed the wrong way and I could even puncture a lung. That’s why I was making sure I didn’t dive too much because I was worried it could break properly,” he added further.

On his injury

Earlier in the second Test, Craig Overton was hit in his ribs whilst batting. The injury was not a major one back then. In the Perth Test, when he dived to stop a ball hit by Usman Khawaja, he got hit in the same region yet again. The subsequent scans revealed that he had a hairline fracture in his ribs. Despite the injury, he bowled in the nets, and later in the Test as English bowlers toiled hard in a losing cause.

“It’s a hairline fracture at the minute. I was hit in Adelaide, but it was fine and in the build-up to the game in Perth I was bowling fine in the nets with no painkillers. We weren’t worried about it. Then I went for that caught-and-bowled catch off Usman Khawaja and landed awkwardly on it and we think that’s when I cracked it. But it was only a bit later, when I came back on for a second spell and bowled a bouncer that it really hurt. It caused me massive pain,” Craig Overton pointed out.

On the course of action

Speaking on the big opportunity that he has got, Craig Overton humbly admitted that playing for the national side is massive. However, he cannot let the cravings hamper the long term plans. Hence, his participation in the subsequent fixtures would depend on how things fare up for him in the days to come.

“The draw of playing in that game is absolutely massive. But I think you’ve also got to be realistic. There’s another game after Melbourne and then the New Zealand Test series as well. So I’ve got to keep my eye on the bigger picture. It’s not just about one game, there’s a lot more to come after this,” he conceded.

Also, he remarked that he feels proud to have succeeded to some extent at the international level. However, the fact that the team has not been winning is something that is bothering him. He hopes to win matches for England in the future.

“I’m proud to have shown what I can do. The confidence of being able to bowl and take wickets at this level is massive. But for me, it’s not about how proud I am as a cricketer, it’s about winning games for England. That’s what hurts: we’re not winning games,” he conceded further.