CRAIG and Jamie Overton have been reflecting on an ‘interesting week’ in the Overton household, after the twins were called up to the England one-day squad for the remainder of the five-match series against New Zealand.

The Devon-born twins were called-ups just four days apart, replacing the injured Chris Jordan and Liam Plunkett in the squad - and Jamie, who received a call from national selector James Whitaker this morning (Monday), was quick to break the news to his brother.

He told Somerset’s official website: “I gave Craig a ring and said I’d see him in Nottingham.

“Then I spoke to our parents, and obviously they are very happy as well.

“It was a bit different when Craig got the call on Saturday because he didn’t have the right kit with him, so he had to ring up Dad and arrange to get picked up and taken down to Southampton.

“It’s been an interesting week for all of us.”

It’s not the first time the pair have received international recognition, with Jamie selected in the one-day squad for the Australia series in the summer of 2013, although he did not make it into the final XI.

Craig earned a place on the Lions tour of South Africa last winter, but was forced home early with a calf injury at around the same time that Jamie arrived in Potchefstroom to train with the England Performance Programme.

Jamie continued: “Craig’s been bowling fantastically, and his call-up was rightly deserved.

“I saw a stat the other day that he’s the only player in the country who’s taken 20 wickets at less than 20 as well as scoring 200 runs, which shows he’s one of the best all-rounders in the country.”

In many sibling rivalries, compliments can be hard to come by and Craig last week joked on Twitter, that a congratulatory tweet from Jamie was ‘the kindest thing he's ever said to him’ – but all-rounder Craig was quick to return the praise heaped on him by his brother.

“Jamie has been bowling quick,” he said.

“None of the boys have been looking forward to facing him in the nets, put it that way – especially me, because he always gives me a bit of extra brotherly love.

“Most of the time with Somerset it’s seemed like only one of us has been picked, or one or other of us has been injured, but we’ve been playing together since we were about five years old, so we still know each other’s games pretty well.

“We started off together at North Devon, which was our dad’s cricket club.

“We came through the age groups together and then we both signed for Somerset at about the same time, just before we went off to the Under-19 World Cup.”

The pair shared a spectacular last-wicket partnership of 76 from 35 balls against the county champions Yorkshire at Taunton last month – and if they are selected in the same England side anytime in the near future, they will become the first twins to do so in the history of English cricket.

Craig added: “Mum and Dad came down to Southampton yesterday and although Mum can’t make it to Nottingham on Wednesday, I think Dad will be coming up again, just in case.

“We’re both pretty happy - we’ve only spoken briefly but I’m looking forward to meeting up with him.

“I think we’re in single rooms with England, but Somerset usually split us up anyway.

“We get on pretty well, but you know what brothers are like.”