England reveals playing XI for third Test against New Zealand
England is set to face New Zealand for the third Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton. The English team has announced their lineup for the upcoming test, and Matthew Potts took the place of veteran Chris Woakes. Potts took 14 wickets in his Test debut against the Kiwis in 2022. Although it was anticipated that he would keep his position, his chances were diminished by Ollie Robison’s comeback. The Durham pacer played just one Test match in 2023 and a few matches against Sri Lanka in 2024 before being replaced by Josh Hull. England is already leading the series by 2-0, so the management will want to try new options.
Now that Matthew Potts has once again claimed his spot in the playing XI, in Woakes’ absence, he is probably going to take up the new ball. The English skipper Ben Stokes commented on the recent development, saying it gives the squad another chance to develop the other pacers that are eligible for selection.
During an interview, Stokes said,
“It’s another opportunity to look at one of the fast bowlers that we see playing a big role going forward. Two-nil up, you obviously put yourself in an easier position to make the change. Potts’s got a massive engine on him. He can go all day, bowl a lot of overs, but not just that, he’s a very skilful bowler, which he’s got better at by being here, working with Jimmy on a few things here and there.”
Woakes recorded an overseas average of 51 ahead of the Pakistan series. However, he did well in back-to-back series against Pakistan and New Zealand, which helped the average to reduce to 48.93. Captain Stokes has praised him for being ‘pretty influential’ and noted that he was fantastic in the away tours of 2024.
Prior to the Pakistan series, Woakes’ international average was 51. However, he did perform well in consecutive series against New Zealand and Pakistan, which contributed to the average dropping to 48.93. Stokes stated that he was excellent on the 2024 away tours.
“Chris Woakes came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny behind his away record but I think what he has done over the winter has proved a lot of people wrong. He's been fantastic, he was great in Pakistan and pretty influential over here,” said Stokes.