Somerset cricketer Craig Overton has been celebrated for his outstanding performances throughout the season, securing both the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Men’s Domestic Overall Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the Rothesay County Championship Player of the Year title.
The 32-year-old all-rounder delivered an exceptional campaign, accumulating 951 runs, claiming 76 wickets, and taking 45 catches across all three formats. His remarkable tally of 680.08 MVP points reflects his consistent impact as Somerset finished as runners-up in the County Championship and reached the Vitality Blast finals day for the sixth consecutive year.
Overton significantly improved his batting prowess this year, registering three First-Class centuries in 2026, having previously held only one in his career. During the County Championship, he scored 734 runs, took 53 wickets, and secured 21 catches across 13 matches. This stellar red-ball performance earned him the Rothesay County Championship Player of the Year accolade, finishing the season with 413.98 MVP points in the format.
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In the Blast quarter-final, Overton demonstrated his match-winning ability by scoring a rapid 79 runs off just 30 balls, helping Somerset recover from a challenging position to defeat Yorkshire and advance to Finals Day.
His achievements mark a milestone, as Overton becomes the first Somerset player to win either the Overall or Championship MVP since the MVP system’s reintroduction in 2021.
Reflecting on his success, Overton said: “It feels pretty good to win an award like this. It’s a sign that I’ve had a good season and contributed to winning games for Somerset and for the Rockets as well.
“It’s been a great summer, and it’s just nice to contribute and be able to put in performances over the whole summer. This award just demonstrates that we’ve got a great team here and that everyone’s contributing to being able to win games. Luckily, I’ve been in the right spot to do what I need to do at the right time.”
Overton led the rankings ahead of Yorkshire’s George Hill, who finished second in both the Overall and Championship categories with 517.01 and 379.57 points respectively.
Other notable players in the MVP standings included Paul Walter (Essex and Manchester Super Giants), Ricardo Vasconcelos (Northamptonshire), Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan and London Spirit), Joe Clarke (Nottinghamshire and Birmingham Phoenix), Dan Lawrence (Surrey and SunRisers Leeds), Martin Andersson (Derbyshire), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire and SunRisers Leeds), Ethan Bamber (Warwickshire), and Kyle Abbott (Hampshire).