Matthew Potts to make Test debut at Lord’s; first match under new head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes; Stuart Broad and James Anderson recalled; watch England vs New Zealand live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10am on Thursday
Last Updated: 01/06/22 10:23am
Matthew Potts has been named in England Test XI to face New Zealand
Durham seamer Matthew Potts will make his England Test debut against New Zealand at Lord’s on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.
Potts is the leading County Championship wicket-taker this season, with 35 scalps at an average of 18.57 across his opening six games in Division Two and a best of 7-40 against Glamorgan.
Stuart Broad and James Anderson are also recalled to to the bowling attack for the first Test under new coach Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Anderson, 39, and Broad, 35, were dropped for the recent 1-0 series defeat in the West Indies in March.
England vs New Zealand
June 2, 2022, 10:00am
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England are without a host of pace bowlers due to injury, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson and Matt Fisher among those sidelined.
Zak Crawley and Alex Lees are retained as openers as Ollie Pope returns to the side and is handed a promotion to No 3.
Joe Root is back at his preferred spot of No 4 with Jonny Bairstow up to No 5 following Stokes’ decision to drop himself down a position to No 6. Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes completes the top seven.
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We take a look back at some of the most memorable moments between England and New Zealand.
Somerset seam bowler Craig Overton and uncapped Yorkshire batter Harry Brook are the two members of the initial 13-man squad to miss out on the final XI.
England XI for first LV= Insurance Test versus New Zealand
1. Zak Crawley (Kent)
2. Alex Lees (Durham)
3. Ollie Pope (Surrey)
4. Joe Root (Yorkshire)
5. Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
6. Ben Stokes (Durham) captain
7. Ben Foakes (Surrey) wicketkeeper
8. Matthew Potts (Durham)
9. Jack Leach (Somerset)
10. Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
11. James Anderson (Lancashire)
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Matt Floyd discusses Brendon McCullum’s first England team ahead of their Test against New Zealand on Thursday, live on Sky Sports
‘Potts thoroughly deserves his chance’
Sky Sports News’ James Cole, at Lord’s:
“Potts has been prolific in the County Championship and has looked really relaxed around the camp.
“He didn’t get to bowl on Tuesday because of the rain but two days ago he looked very sharp in the nets. He had Root in a bit of trouble.
“I had an off-the-record chat with him when he was introduced to a few members of the media and he seems really confident.
“He has got his opportunity because of so many injuries to other fast bowlers but he thoroughly deserves his chance.
“He has had England captain Stokes watching from mid-off at Durham, which of course helps, but he looks a real talent. The only issue might be that England don’t have a great deal of batting in that tail.”
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Former England cricketer Nasser Hussain says England need to get runs on the board early to win games and not just rely on individual brilliance from Ben Stokes and Joe Root
“This is a strong New Zealand team – they are World Test champions – but they are by no means in form.
“They drew with Bangladesh and South Africa at home 1-1 and lost one of their warm-up games to a County Select XI, so haven’t had things all their own way and are likely to be missing Trent Boult as well [as he he only recently arrived from the IPL].
“Some feel New Zealand are there for the taking but we have seen English Test cricket over the last year or so and their batting collapses.”
Atherton: McCullum, Stokes effect could inspire immediate uplift
With only one debutant in McCullum’s Test team, former England captain Michael Atherton told Sky Sports it is understandable the New Zealander does not want to “rip it all up” right away.
“He [McCullum] doesn’t really know enough about English cricket yet,” Atherton said.
“It will take him a while to get his feet under the table, to get a sense of the players who are around the squad right now and also those who are waiting in the wings.
“You wouldn’t expect to see dramatic changes initially, but there might be a bit more clarity of direction from the top.
“Obviously you’d expect an England side led by Stokes and McCullum to play a certain way, and usually when there’s a change of management – captain, coach, whatever – teams get an initial, automatic uplift in terms of performance.”
On the style of play fans can expect under the new partnership driving England’s Test team, Atherton added: “I think everybody’s hoping England can play smart, effective and, ultimately, winning cricket.
“There will be times when you need to take the game on, put your foot down and go after the opposition, and there will be times when you’re on the back foot a little bit and have to grind it out, tough it out.
“McCullum was a brilliant cricketer, and he was of a type – on the aggressive side, both as a captain and a player – but he was also somebody who could play the long game as well.
“He was a very smart and effective cricketer, and I think that’s what he will be hoping for from his team above all.”
Watch England take on New Zealand in the first Test, from Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am on Thursday.