NEW England bowling coach Chris Silverwood has earmarked Somerset seamer Jamie Overton as a paceman he has his eye on for future national squads.

Silverwood, who led Essex to the 2017 County Championship title, is in the midst of his first series since taking on the role in the national set-up and has had his say on the pace debate which has surrounded the aftermath of England's 4-0 Ashes defeat.

Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: “There is pace in English cricket. There’s Garton, Jamie Overton – they are 90mph. Part of our role is to find them, nurture them, work with them, bring them through and hopefully progress them into Test cricket.

“We’ve seen it on the county scene with Jamie: he’s aggressive, he’s in your face, he’s not shy of bowling his bouncer. And he’s got a lot of fight about him. But again, they’re young and they need nurturing to bring them through.

“Fast bowling is hard work. The guys are out there and some of them are young. We have to give them time to develop. There’s no magic wand. Our job is to provide the environment for them to develop and improve.”

Overton was limited to just five County Championship matches in 2017 by a stress fracture in his lower back, but he has been building his fitness and is currently involved with an England pace programme in Desert Springs, Spain.

The 23-year-old's name has been mentioned in dispatches throughout the winter due to his ability to bowl quick, hostile spells, and he will be eager to follow in the footsteps of his twin brother Craig, who impressed on his international bow during the recent Ashes series.

See tomorrow's County Gazette (January 18) for an interview with Craig Overton after his Ashes exploits.