Injured Overton returns from UAE

SOMERSET all-rounder Craig Overton has left England Lions’ tour of the United Arab Emirates because of an injury to his lower back.

Scans showed that the seam bowling all-rounder, who has featured in three Test matches and a one-day international in the past 12 months for England, suffered a disc injury in training.

He will be unavailable for the four-day fixture against Pakistan A in Abu Dhabi, which gets under way on Sunday, after returning home to England.

The England Lions medical team said in a brief statement: “Craig developed low back pain while bowling in training and scans subsequently revealed that he has sustained a disc injury.

“In collaboration with Somerset, the decision has been made for Craig to return to the UK for rehabilitation.”

Meanwhile, Overton’s county colleague Jack Leach was out for one as he resumed his opening nightwatchman role on day three of the second Test match between Sri Lanka and England in Kandy yesterday.

However, with skipper Joe Root seizing the moment with a quite perfectly-timed century, England took command of an intriguing clash. Root made 124 in 146 balls as the tourists banished any expectations of an embattled second innings to finish day three with a sizeable lead of 278.

Rory Burns and Ben Foakes both made half-centuries.