Surrey’s Jamie Overton has been in fine form with the bat since moving to The Kia Oval and says he has always believed in his all-round credentials.
Perhaps more widely known for his lightning quick bowling throughout his career to date, Overton has in 2020 enjoyed a stellar truncated season with willow in hand.
The 26-year-old hit a first-class century for Somerset before agreeing his move to London and has continued to impress, now against a white ball.
His latest exploits in the middle came as he powered Surrey over the line with 40 not out in a challenging run chase against Sussex and thereby guaranteeing that the Three Feathers will play in the quarter final stage.
Two more group fixtures remain, at Hampshire on Friday and against Kent on Sunday, with the sole focus to finish top of the South Group and guarantee the home match.
Speaking after the decisive win, Overton said: “I love my batting and see myself as an all-rounder so it’s nice to show what I can do with the bat, the opportunity to do that is one of the reasons why I have joined Surrey. We’re through to the quarter-finals and now it’s about making sure we get a home game.”
Bowling first and missing this season’s stand-in skipper Gareth Batty through injury, Surrey restricted their visitors to 165/7 on a very central pitch in the middle of the vast expanse that is The Kia Oval.
Overton says that Surrey always knew it was a total within the reach of their batting lineup.
“We’re very happy,” he said.
“It was a slightly better wicket for batting than the last couple at The Kia Oval so we felt it was chaseable. We made it a bit tricky in the middle when we lost a couple of wickets but we got over the line in the end.”
