“I came off that Test match against India and I felt physically broken,” he said. “I know we lost the bowler, Wokesey went down with a shoulder injury, but that’s the worst I felt in playing cricket for a long time.

“It nearly took me two weeks to get ready to play in The Hundred, when you only bowl 20 balls. My shoulder was incredibly sore for two weeks and it just felt like it was an injury waiting to happen if I kept trying to push myself.

“At that point I was just like: ‘Let’s focus on my white-ball and red-ball cricket might come back’. I’ve never said I’ve ruled it out completely.”

In the aftermath of Ben Stokes’ retirement, England have opted to field four frontline seamers in their XI, with Dan Lawrence batting at number six and offering some off-spin.

If England needed to alter the balance of their side, a returning Overton would be an option to strengthen their lower-order batting. He made 97 on his Test debut against New Zealand in 2022.

“I’ve never said I’ve ruled it out,” said Overton. “It’s just got to be the right thing at the right time.

“It’s been just over a year and I’ve been really structured with my workloads and my plans and getting my body into a good spot. I feel really good.”

Jamie’s twin brother Craig has played in eight Tests, including in the Ashes series of 2017-18 and 2019.

Craig had a superb summer for Somerset, though told BBC Sport earlier this month he had not been contacted by England about the possibility of a recall.

For Jamie, after turning down the chance of a trip down under last year, Australia’s visit to the UK next summer is likely to represent the last chance for a taste of Ashes cricket.

“At that moment I didn’t feel like it was the right thing for my body,” he said.

“The opportunity to play in the Ashes is every kid’s dream. I watched Craig do it and was incredibly proud of what he did. Obviously, you want to be there and do it one day.”

Overton was part of the England team beaten by Pakistan in their tri-series opener in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

England meet Sri Lanka at the same ground on Thursday, with full commentary of that match on Test Match Special via BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website and app.