Craig Overton showed signs of developing into an England allrounder during an excellent Somerset season in 2015 which brought runs and wickets in all formats and rather too many brushes with authority for his own good. The highlight was 43 Championship wickets at 21.70, the lowlight was three brushes with umpires which by the end of the season had brought him a two-match ban and a reputation for an unbuttoned lip that was not about to go down well in high places.

Specialist one-on-one sessions with psychotherapist Abbie Kench followed, on the suggestions of Somerset's coach Matthew Maynard, leaving Overton able t6o join England Lions' Loughborough camp at the end of 2016 with no more transgressions on his record.

From the moment that the Overtons took the field for Somerset, English cricket has anticipated the possibility that they could become the first twins to represent England in international cricket. The nearest that has come to happening was when Eric Bedser played alongside Sir Alec Bedser only in a practice game against Tasmania on England's 1950-51 tour of Australia. It almost took place in 2015 when they were 21, both twins being called up to England's ODI squad because of injuries, but neither being selected.

The older of the Overton twins - he was born three minutes before Jamie - Craig made his way into first-class cricket a month earlier and looks to be the more polished cricketer of the pair. Although lacking some of the speed of Jamie, Craig still generates decent pace from a high action that faintly evokes Stuart Broad and appears to have to have the technique to bowl a consistently probing line and length.

Both represented Devon in age-group cricket before graduating to Somerset and the England U19 set-up in early 2012. Craig played seven Championship matches that summer, winning a place at the U19 World Cup and then the Lions tour to Australia in early 2013. While a stress fracture of the back ruined his 2013 season, he was named in the ECB Potential Emerging Player Programme in South Africa at the start of 2014 and the Lions tour to South Africa the following winter. In between times, he enjoyed a fine season with 42 first-class wickets at 28.52 apiece, including a maiden five-wicket haul - 5-63 - against Durham. He can bat, too. An innings of 86 against Sussex in 2014 was followed by 99 against Lancashire.

The twins are hard to tell apart. Jamie was generally regarded as quicker, more extrovert, more suited to Test cricket. Craig was steadier, an allrounder, better suited to one-day cricket, and more of a batsman whereas Jamie is a hitter. But it was Craig who made the greater strides in 2015, summoning spells of some hostility that might have led some to mistake him for his brother.

ESPNcricinfo staff