Matthew Potts

Matthew Potts won a call-up to England's Test squad for play New Zealand in 2022 after a stunning start to the County Championship season in which he underlined his attributes as a promising seam bowler in first-class cricket. He finished the summer with five caps and 20 wickets at 28.00 to cement his position among the front rank of English red-ball candidates.

Potts, a graduate of the Durham academy, received England Under-19 recognition as a young player and initially burst through in white-ball cricket, taking 17 wickets in his debut Blast season in 2019. He continued to develop in the shorter formats, impressing for Durham and for Northern Superchargers in the Hundred, but 2022 was a breakthrough season in first-class cricket as he claimed 35 wickets in his first six matches, finishing the season with 58 at 17.87.

The focus on red-ball meant his limited-overs career went on the back burner, although Potts won an ODI debut shortly after breaking into the Test team. He was omitted for the Test tour of Pakistan, returning to the squad for New Zealand, and only featured briefly during the 2023 summer - one Test and two ODIs against Ireland - but did play a significant role in Durham's County Championship promotion, with another 54 wickets helping to secure the Division Two title.

Potts is not an out-and-out fast bowler but can generate steepling bounce from a good length through his height and has been clocked in the mid-to-high 80s mph in televised white-ball games. He was educated at St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College and joins Jordan Pickford as a famous sporting alumnus.
ESPNcricinfo staff