Craig Overton, Dom Bess Called Up To England Test Squad As Cover

England national cricket team has suffered an alarming dip in form ever since winning the ICC World Cup 2019. Australia retained Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years. After that tragedy soon followed England around like a shadow as they lost to New Zealand in the two-match Test series.

New Zealand won by an innings and 65 runs in the first Test and the second match ended in a draw. They are currently placed 5th in the ICC Test championship points table and they are in South Africa for the four-match Test series. Meanwhile, Craig Overton and Dom Bess have been called up to England’s Test squad as cover.

According to an official statement issued by England Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday, December 20, the Somerset duo will land in Johannesburg on Saturday, which is five days ahead of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion on December 26.

England players to miss three-day tour game against South Africa A due to illness

The official release also confirmed reports that England’s three-day tour game against South Africa A commencing today will be played without first-class status as English players are set to miss out with the illness. Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer and Jack Leach are some of the players who will not be featuring in the game.

“ECB would like to take this opportunity to thank CSA for their flexibility on this situation and to emphasise that under normal circumstances we would have wanted to play the match first-class, but illness in the camp has made this very problematic,” a board spokesperson added in a statement.

It should be noted that Bess has already played two Tests for England, while Overton has played four Tests and the last of which came in the 2019 Ashes match in Old Trafford. Both the players were quite sensational during the 2019 County Championship. Playing 11 games, Bess took 26 wickets at a scintillating average of 26.19 with his off-spin, while seam bowler Overton bagged 37 wickets from just 10 games at 21.89.

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