England select Matthew Potts in place of Chris Woakes for final Test match against New Zealand | Cricket News happymamay

England recalled Matthew Potts for the third and final Test against New Zealand, making room for Chris Woakes.

The tourists have already secured the Crewe Thorpe Cup with big victories in Christchurch and Wellington and took the opportunity to turn the seamers at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

Potts, who won his last nine ODIs against Pakistan in October, is expected to take over Woakes’ role in the new ball.

He had great success against the Black Caps in 2022, his first summer as an England international, taking 14 wickets in three Tests including star batsman Kane Williamson on three occasions.

Now 26, he will be hoping for similar positive results as he looks to cement his place in an increasingly competitive pool of fast bowling options.

England XI for the third Test against New Zealand

1.⁠ ⁠Zach Crowley
2.⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett
3.⁠ ⁠Jacob Bethel
4.⁠ ⁠Joe Root
5.⁠ Harry Brooke
6. Ollie Pope (1 week)
7.⁠ ⁠Ben Stokes (c)
8.⁠ ⁠ Gus Atkinson
9.⁠ Braydon Carrs
10.⁠ Matthew Potts
11. Shoaib Bashir

“When you are 2-0 up, you put yourself in an easier position to make that change.”

“We’re looking forward to giving Bootsy a chance to see what he can do this week,” captain Ben Stokes said.

“He has a huge motor. He can go all day and bowl a lot of overs but not only that, he is a very skilful bowler.”

“He’s a versatile player, you can use him with the new ball and the short ball scheme we’re going with because he’s so fit. He can throw you 20 times in one day, then swing back and throw you 20 more.”

Had the series survived, there was a strong chance Woakes would have retained his status, a sign of how successful he has been in fighting to revive a touring career that many thought was over.

The Warwickshire all-rounder has long been frustrated by the disparity between his strong statistics at home and some mediocre numbers on the road, but he finished the year in credit, with eight wickets at 35.63 in his three away matches.

It remains to be seen whether he has a role to play in next year’s Ashes trip, which is still almost a year away and in conditions in which he has previously struggled to make an impact, but Stokes believes he has proven a point.

“You can look at it that way, yes,” he said.

“Wockey came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny in terms of his away record, but I think what he did proved a lot of people wrong. He was fantastic for us, he was fantastic in Pakistan and he had a huge impact here as well.

“When you are 2-0 up, you put yourself in an easier position to make that change and we want to give opportunities and experience to players who don’t always get that.”

Stokes also paid tribute to the retirement of Tim Southee, who will retire from international cricket this week.

Captain Tom Latham stopped short of guaranteeing the veteran would be in the squad when play kicks off at 10pm GMT on Friday, but the fact the Pavilion End was temporarily renamed in his honor this week suggests his home crowd will get the pitch. A chance to say goodbye.

“Tim has been a great servant to New Zealand cricket. He has done some great things on the field and is New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in all formats,” he said.

“I will always remember that he is someone who keeps coming at you, especially with the ball, and he can be an absolute nightmare to pounce on.”

England’s Test tour of New Zealand