England are in the 'box seat' against New Zealand, claims Overton
Jamie Overton believes England are in the "box seat" after a pulsating third day of the third Test against New Zealand at Headingley.
Seeking a 3-0 whitewash with victory in Yorkshire, England claimed a lead of 31 runs as they were bowled out for 360.
Jonny Bairstow added to his overnight 130 to reach 162, five short of his best ever total for England in the longest format, while Overton missed out on a debut Test century when he was caught on 97.
New Zealand fell from 152-2 to 168-5 after a rain break in the evening session to leave Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell looking after a lead of 137 when rain stopped play.
Overton was understandably disappointed to narrowly miss out on a century, but believes his knock has helped give England the edge going into the final two days.
"It's been good fun. Obviously I was very disappointed getting out on 97, but I feel like I've contributed to the team," he told reporters.
"It's always a challenge when you first go into something, but I feel I've done okay. I'd like to take a few more wickets, but I'm more than happy to get 97. I didn't think I'd get anywhere near that, especially coming in at 55 for six.
"I think that last session put us right in the box seat. We would like to go back out there at the end but couldn't quite get out there with the covers needing time to get them off.
"But we're in a great position going into tomorrow and hopefully we can get the two early wickets, the two key wickets. But we feel like we're in a good place. And if we can get those two early, then we're in a great place to win the game."
The Headingley crowd was in particularly raucous mood on Saturday, and Overton credited England's swashbuckling approach as key to the electric atmosphere.
"I've definitely not experienced anything like that before," he added. "The closest I've had was a Surrey against Somerset game, Ryan Patel getting things going down at third man. That was loud but it was nothing like this.
"Ben Stokes has got the ethos of trying to be entertainers for everyone and he said in the changing room earlier that the way me and Jonny played had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
"That's entertaining cricket and that's what we want to be doing. I like to think I'm quite an entertaining cricketer."
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Leach takes centre stage as England claim emphatic win over Pakistan
England sealed an innings and 47-run victory over Pakistan on Friday, with Jack Leach shining on day five.
After a dominant performance on day four, England went into the final three sessions within touching distance of what had seemed like an unlikely victory when Pakistan mounted 556 in their first innings.
Pakistan began the day requiring 115 to match England's huge total of 823-7, which Joe Root (264) and Harry Brook had propelled them to.
But with Abrar Ahmed unable to feature due to illness, Pakistan were left with just three wickets to play with, and Leach - playing in his first Test since January - needed little time to wrap up the victory.
Salman Agha (63) was trapped lbw inside four deliveries, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was caught and bowled on 10 before Leach's spin did for Naseem Shah, who was stumped by Jamie Smith to see Pakistan all out for 220.
Leach finished with figures of 4-30 as England celebrated an emphatic victory that gives them a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of the second Test, which will also be played in Multan, next week.
Data Debrief: Record breakers
England have now reeled off three straight wins when they have conceded a total over 500, a remarkable feat in and of itself.
In fact, this victory marks the first time a team has been hit for as many as 556, yet still gone on to win by an innings.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have now lost 11 Test matches on the bounce as hosts, and four in a row to England on home soil.
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CWI awards 2024/25 contracts to men's, women's Academy players
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has awarded full-time, one-year contracts to 30 young players as part of its ongoing commitment to nurturing emerging talent in the region.
For the first time, the Men’s Academy cohort will be based full-time at the CWI-owned Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) in Antigua, while the Women’s Academy players will continue their high-performance development in their home territories with regular training camps at CCG throughout the year.
This year marks a significant step for the Men’s Academy, with 15 players under the age of 23 receiving dedicated, year-long coaching and training. These young men will have access to world-class resources, including a dedicated technical team, as they prepare for the rigors of regional and international cricket.
The Women’s Academy, which was launched during the 2023/24 season, continues to offer young female cricketers critical development opportunities.
Additionally, the 15 women awarded contracts for this season will benefit from specialized training with Talent Pathway coaches and ongoing high-performance initiatives in their respective territories and CCG, as well as experiencing an international tour.
Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket, emphasized the importance of both programmes.
“The CWI Academies are instrumental in bridging the gap between junior and senior levels, ensuring that both men and women receive the support they need to succeed internationally. By focusing on holistic development and providing tailored, high-performance programming, we are accelerating the growth of our emerging players and securing a bright future for West Indies cricket,” Bascombe said.