England recalled Matthew Potts on Friday to replace Chris Woakes for the third Test against New Zealand, with captain Ben Stokes keen to build bowling depth after wrapping up the series. Durham seamer Potts will take the new ball in the dead-rubber final Test starting in Hamilton on Saturday after England clinched a first series win on New Zealand soil since 2008 with lop-sided victories in Christchurch and Wellington. Potts has failed to nail down selection since playing the first of his nine Tests in 2022 against New Zealand at Lord’s.

He took seven wickets on debut, including twice dismissing New Zealand great Kane Williamson.

Stokes said the 26-year-old had a “massive engine” and deserved another chance in what will be an inexperienced attack.

“It’s another opportunity to look at one of the fast bowlers that we see playing a big role going forward,” Stokes said.

“Two-nil up, you put yourself obviously in an easier position to make that change.

“We want to be giving experience to the guys who don’t necessarily always get the opportunity. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be able to do that.”

It means none of England’s specialist bowlers — also comprising seamers Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir — has played more than 14 Tests.

NZ wait to name XI

Woakes has taken six wickets at an average just under 30 across the two Tests and Stokes said the 35-year-old’s form was not the reason for leaving him out.

“Chris Woakes came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny behind his away record but I think what he’s done has proven a lot of people wrong,” Stokes said.

“He was great over in Pakistan and obviously he’s been influential here in New Zealand in the two games he’s got.”

New Zealand captain Tom Latham confirmed Will Young will start his first match of the series, opening the batting in place of Devon Conway, who stayed home to attend the birth of his first child.

However, Latham will wait to see the Seddon Park pitch on Saturday morning before finalising his starting XI.

Spinner Mitchell Santner could yet replace one of four seamers, although Latham suggested veteran bowler Tim Southee‘s selection was safe for his 107th and final Test before retirement.

Latham said his players want to prove themselves after barely firing a shot so far against the aggressive playing style of the tourists.

“The guys, myself, we don’t need any motivation,” Latham said.

“We know we haven’t played to our potential the last couple of games but hopefully we can put on a good showing for the fans.

“We know the style that England play but it’s slightly different conditions here which may play its part.”

Teams: 

New Zealand (Squad): Tom Latham (capt), Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Will O’Rourke, Jacob Duffy.

England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Shoaib Bashir.

A sustained seam attack by Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse following a belligerent batting effort saw England on the verge of wrapping up the first Test at stumps on day three in Christchurch on Saturday. New Zealand were 155-6 at the close, ahead by just four runs and with only four wickets remaining. Daryl Mitchell was not out 31 with Nathan Smith on one. England made 499 in their first innings, an imposing 151-run lead, led by Harry Brook‘s 171. “We’re in an amazing position to go on and win the game,” said Brook, who benefitted from five dropped catches. “I had a lot of luck, didn’t I. and thankfully I cashed in.”

New Zealand were hurting at the fielding errors with Brook adding 153 after he was first dropped on 18.

“Fielding’s something we pride ourselves on and that’s the part that hurts,” said seamer Matt Henry.

“We work hard on it and it’s usually where we turn a game on its head. So obviously it hurts when chances go down.”

Brook’s knock was supported by 80 from captain Ben Stokes and 77 from Ollie Pope.

It was then the turn of England’s seamers as New Zealand’s salvage attempt faltered at the start with Tom Latham caught by Brook for one to give Woakes his first wicket in the third over.

Devon Conway was on eight when his attempt to pull Carse to the boundary was miscued to Gus Atkinson at mid-on and New Zealand were tottering at 23-2.

Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra set about stitching the innings together as they put on 41 for the third wicket before Ravindra went for 24.

The left-hander could not resist pulling a short ball from Carse but failed to get on top of the bounce and was caught by Jacob Bethell waiting at mid-wicket.

Woakes returned to remove Williamson and Tom Blundell in successive balls to end the day with 3-39.

Williamson, so often called upon to rescue his country, was unruffled until on 61 — his second half-century of the Test — he missed a straight delivery and was trapped lbw.

With his next ball, Woakes found the faintest edge of Blundell’s bat but he was denied a hat-trick by Glenn Phillips who pushed a short ball towards the covers.

Phillips progressed to 19 before he was given out lbw to a Carse delivery that nipped back.

New Zealand sought a review but replays showed the ball was skimming the bails and the decision was the umpires call and Carse had 3-22.

– Masterful –

England resumed the day at 319-5 and raced along at six an over before being all out after lunch.

A masterful Brook, who benefitted from five of the eight catches spilled by New Zealand, led England’s rescue after they were left reeling at 71-4.

The only good news for New Zealand was that while they dropped two more catches on day three, they successfully held five.

Brook relished his lives. He smiled and looked to the heavens when Phillips spilled a chance on 147, having been dropped the previous day on 18, 41, 70 and 106.

Four overs after his last reprieve, he brought up his 150 in imperious fashion, charging down the wicket at Tim Southee and driving him to the cover boundary.

But when New Zealand found a way to make catches stick, Brook’s innings, which included 15 fours and three sixes, came to an end.

A good length ball from Matt Henry found a faint outside edge and wicketkeeper Blundell grasped the opportunity.

The applause as Brook left the ground was as much for New Zealand holding a catch as it was for a magnificent innings.

Woakes (one) was out on the second ball he faced with Latham scooping up a low-level chance at second slip.

Smith ended Atkinson’s breezy innings with Phillips taking a smart catch at long leg.

Henry was the most successful New Zealand bowler with 4-84. Smith took 3-141.

Salman Agha played a crucial part in Pakistan’s charge on Day 2 of the first Test against England in Multan scoring 104* off 119 balls to take team past the 560-mark. However, he was also involved in a controversial decision during one of his sixes off Jack Leach. Salman went after leach right after Lunch, as Woakes, stationed at long-off, dived back to catch the ball on the ropes, before throwing it in air as a went outside the boundary line. Right after that he jumped back to complete the catch. 

But third umpire Chris Gaffaney controversially ruled that Woakes’ right foot was grounded when he made contact with the ball. That decision has divided world cricket.

An eventful six!

Chris Woakes tries hard but Salman Ali Agha is deemed safe #PAKvENG | #TestAtHome pic.twitter.com/5hqtmSdi6B

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) October 8, 2024

Chris Woakes nearly pulled off an absolute stunner to dismiss Agha Salman! His right foot was almost in between frames—talk about margins! It was ruled a six, but what a brilliant attempt at what could have been an incredible catch!#PAKvENG #TestCricket #Multan #CricketTwitter… pic.twitter.com/LsTBDdm34f

— lightningspeed (@lightningspeedk) October 8, 2024

Salman Ali Agha was almost dismissed by Jack Leach with a super effort by Chris Woakes at the boundary – but his foot was grounded outside the rope when he took the catch.#PAKvENG | #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/b12Oi9mBaE

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) October 8, 2024

Earlier, Salman Agha knocked a fiery half-century to foil England’s fightback on Tuesday, as Pakistan reached 515-8 at tea on day two of the opening Test in Multan. The 30-year-old was unbeaten on 79 alongside Shaheen Shah Afridi, 13, after England took two wickets in each of the two sessions on a batting-friendly pitch.

Agha survived a catch off spinner Jack Leach, when Chris Woakes lobbed the ball from behind the boundary line and caught it inside the ground. However the third umpire ruled the fielder’s foot touched the ground beyond the rope and gave a six.

Agha has cracked 10 fours and two sixes in his eighth Test fifty and went past 1,000 runs in his 15th Test. Agha added an invaluable 57 runs for the seventh wicket with Saud Shakeel, who was caught smartly by Joe Root at slip off Shoaib Bashir for 82. Shakeel hit eight fours.

Pace bowler Brydon Carse has figures of 2-74 on his debut after trapping Aamer Jamal for seven, adding to his first Test wicket of Naseem Shah who was caught at leg slip by Harry Brook before lunch for 33.

Resuming at 328-4, Shakeel and Shah put on a sedate stand of 64 as England’s bowlers kept it tight with just 69 coming in the first session.

Fast bowler Gus Atkinson has figures of 2-99, spinner Jack Leach has 2-136, including the wicket of Mohammed Rizwan before lunch, while Woakes and Bashir have taken a wicket apiece.

Ben Stokes‘ England take on Pakistan in a three-Test series starting on Monday, buoyed by memories of an astonishing 3-0 series sweep in 2022. England, third in the world rankings after winning five of their past six Tests, are facing a Pakistan team at a low ebb after being crushed by Bangladesh. Here’s a look at some of the key talking points for the tourists ahead of the series, which starts in Multan.

Stokes factor

England last month wrapped up a 2-1 series victory against Sri Lanka without skipper Ben Stokes, but he remains the team’s undisputed leader and talisman.

The 33-year-old all-rounder misses the first Test after failing to recover from a torn hamstring and it remains to be seen whether he will bowl when he does return.

The inclusion of Stokes as a specialist batsman would alter the balance of the side England favoured in the recent Sri Lanka series, where they played five frontline bowlers.

The visitors could opt to replace one of their regular top order with the skipper but it is more likely they would play four specialist bowlers and rely on Joe Root‘s off-spin to supplement the attack.

Stokes has not played for two months but he showed his worth against the West Indies, scoring three fifties in his last four innings of the series.

Bazball Mark II?

England’s tour of Pakistan in 2022 came in the first few heady months of the “Bazball” era — a method of all-out attack encouraged by Brendon McCullum, who had become coach earlier that year.

The visitors set the tone for the series on the first day in Rawalpindi, smashing a remarkable 506-4, with four men making centuries.

After England’s 4-1 series loss in India earlier this year, McCullum spoke about the need to “refine” their style and a less gung-ho approach of controlled aggression has paid dividends.

England demolished the West Indies 3-0 before beating Sri Lanka 2-1 on home soil.

“I think the style will work in Pakistan, for sure,” retired England bowling great Stuart Broad said ahead of the launch of Inside Lord’s, Marylebone Cricket Club’s new digital platform.

“It was a great tour to Pakistan in 2022. All the players really enjoyed it and ultimately, England’s batting group are wonderful players of spin. 

“I think they’re really positive and aggressive, they can find the boundary and don’t get tied down by spin.

“England will have to play fast-paced cricket to force results over there because you generally do need five days to make something happen.”

Inexperienced attack

The era of Broad and James Anderson is over for England, who are trying to build a new pace attack that can take the fight to India and Australia next year.

Chris Woakes is the senior paceman and enjoyed a superb summer at home but his figures in overseas Tests are poor, while express bowler Mark Wood is out of action.

Surrey seamer Gus Atkinson has enjoyed a remarkable start to his Test career, taking 34 wickets in his first six games. 

But he, Matthew Potts and Olly Stone have just 19 caps between them and Brydon Carse will make his debut in Multan.

Aside from left-armer Jack Leach, who is back in the fold after being deemed surplus to requirements during the English season, the spin attack is also inexperienced.

Leach’s Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir has played just nine Tests while Rehan Ahmed has not featured since the India series, having made his debut in England’s memorable 2022 series win in Pakistan.

Broad warns that inexperience could cost the visitors.

“It’s very difficult to go into a Test match, particularly when Ben Stokes isn’t playing or not bowling with three very inexperienced bowlers because if it goes wrong and the spinner’s inexperienced you could lose a Test match in an hour,” he said.

Chris Woakes was forced to bowl spin against Sri Lanka© X (Twitter)

Gus Atkinson scored a dashing maiden century before England strengthened their grip on the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Friday. Atkinson’s sparkling 118 helped take England to 427 all out in their first innings after Joe Root had made a masterful 143 on Thursday to equal the England record of 33 Test hundreds held by Alastair Cook. Sri Lanka then collapsed to 87-6 on the second day. But Kamindu Mendis, fresh from a fine 113 in Sri Lanka’s five-wicket loss in the first Test at Old Trafford, made an admirable 74 to prevent complete humiliation before he was last man out in a total of 196.

All of England’s pace attack took two wickets each, Matthew Potts returning figures of 2-19 in 11 overs and Chris Woakes 2-21 in 13.

Sri Lanka were 231 runs behind but stand-in England captain Ollie Pope did not enforce the follow-on, with the hosts 25-1 in their second innings at stumps — an overall lead of 256 as they looked to go 2-0 up in a three-match series.

Ben Duckett was 15 not out with Pope, having managed just three single figure scores since replacing the injured Ben Stokes as skipper, two not out after deciding against shielding himself from the new ball with a nightwatchman.

But the day belonged to Atkinson as he cemented his love affair with Lord’s. 

The 26-year-old, whose previous highest first-class score was 91 for Surrey against a Sri Lanka Development XI in 2022, only made his Test debut against the West Indies, also at Lord’s, last month.

Atkinson marked that occasion with 12 wickets (7-45 and 5-61) to etch his name on the famed Lord’s dressing room honours boards reserved for bowlers who take five or more wickets in a Test innings and 10 or more in a match. 

Few would have backed Atkinson to get on the equivalent honours board recognising those who score Test hundreds at the ‘Home of Cricket’ — a feat that proved beyond such star batsmen as India’s Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies’ Brian Lara and Australia’s Ricky Ponting.

Atkinson was 74 not out overnight in a Thursday stumps total of 358-7.

No 8 Atkinson carried on from where he left off, hitting two fours off Friday’s first two balls, as he leg-glanced and cover-drove paceman Lahiru Kumara leg-glanced for a pair of textbook boundaries.

But to the third he was given out lbw, only for Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision to be reversed by a review indicating the ball would have missed leg stump.

Atkinson went to his century in storybook fashion, driving Kumara down the ground into the pavilion for another four — his 11th in a century completed in just 103 balls and also featuring four sixes.

A spectacular innings came to a spectacular end when Atkinson mistimed a pull off an Asitha Fernando bouncer and was brilliantly caught by a diving Milan Rathnayake as he launched himself towards the rope.

Atkinson walked off to a rousing reception, having faced just 115 balls.

Fernando ended the innings by dismissing Olly Stone to secure his place on the honours boards with a return of 5-102 in 21 overs.  

Sri Lanka openers Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne then both played on for seven before wickets continued to tumble.

But in-form left-hander Mendis, again batting curiously low in the order at No 7, hooked three sixes off recalled quick Stone, the last injuring an MCC member in the pavilion, during a 120-ball innings also featuring eight fours. 

Dropped on 62 when Root floored a routine chance in the deep, the 25-year-old eventually holed out off Atkinson to round off a memorable day for the fast bowler.

ENG vs SL, 1st Test Day 4 LIVE Score© AFP

File image of Chris Woakes© AFP