 On 21 February 2008 Onions took 7/39 in a one-day fixture against Maharashtra, his best one day bowling figures to date.In January 2009, Onions, returning from injury, played in the losing Stockton (Newcastle) side against the Tamworth side in the New South Wales country cup competition played at the Sydney Cricket Ground.On 29 April 2009 Onions was named in the England squad for the upcoming Test series against West Indies, at the expense of his Durham team-mate Steve Harmison.