England have made one change ahead of the third and final test against New Zealand,
getting underway tomorrow, at Seddon Park.
Ben Stokes confirmed today that Durham quick Mathew Potts will replace Chris Woakes
in Hamilton. Woakes’ away record has been subject to much debate over the years –
averaging a substandard 48.93 with the ball in 23 overseas matches, compared to his
excellent average of 21.59 in 34 home matches.
Heading into this New Zealand tour, the general consensus was that this would be the 35-year-old’s last away series, but now there is talk of the veteran making the trip out to Australia come November of next year, thanks to some appreciable performances this winter.
Stokes himself acknowledged the scrutiny behind Woakes’s inadequate performances
away, firmly stating that “What he’s done this winter has proved a lot of people wrong”. Despite only taking 2 wickets in the 35 overs that Woakes bowled in Pakistan, he looked skillful on an extremely flat wicket in Multan. In the two matches that he has been a part of out here in New Zealand, Woakes has looked invigorated, averaging 29.13, whilst passing the edge on numerous occasions – he could well have had a few more wickets this series.
With the safety of already having secured a series win, Stokes acknowledged that “We
want to be giving opportunities and experience to guys that often don’t get these
chances”.
The beneficiary of this decision is Matthew Potts, who has been around the squad since
Stokes took over from Joe Root as captain, in April of 2022. Potts has only played nine
test matches, averaging 29.22 across his 31 wickets, but at 26 years old, he is tipped to
play a large role for England over the next few years. Stokes noted that Potts is
expected to join Gus Atkinson with the new ball, saving Brydon Carse at first change,
continuing the enforcer role that he has excelled at thus far.
The rest of the English eleven remains unchanged, as the significantly smaller
boundaries at Seddon Park hint at some large scores heading into the weekend. Tim
Southee will be at the top of the list of players looking to make the most of the small
boundaries, as he is five maximums away from bringing up 100 Test Match sixes and
signing off his career in style.
New Zealand are yet to announce their eleven however, with Tom Latham only
confirming Will Young’s return to the side at the top of the order, replacing Devon
Conway, who is away on paternity leave. The Kiwi skipper would not even confirm if
Southee would be playing, stating that they “Need to assess the conditions more”, in
order to figure out whether to play a fourth seamer, or call up Mitchell Santner for his
spin prowess.
Test prep in Hamilton 📍 #NZvENG #CricketNation 📸 = NZC pic.twitter.com/rQPPgaUNd5
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) December 12, 2024
The fact that the pavilion end at Seddon Park has temporarily been renamed as the
‘Tim Southee End’ may be a decent indication as to selection thoughts, as Southee
begins his farewell week, calling time on an outstanding test match career. The 36-year-
old debuted against England in Napier at just 19, and has gone on to play 106 matches, taking 389 wickets, and playing a crucial role in New Zealand’s inaugural World Test Championship victory back in 2021.
The Kiwi side landed in Hamilton on Wednesday, and took straight to training, despite
some dismal weather calling their first session to a premature end. England took the
extra few days off to bask in the glory of their series win, as the squad visited Taupo for
a few rounds of golf. They completed their first and only training session this afternoon,
a three-hour stint that included a particularly grueling bleep test in the afternoon sun.
England will look to finish off their winter with a series whitewash, before they take a 5-
month break from red ball cricket and turn their attention to the 5 match ODI series in
India, closely followed by the Champions Trophy.
With no test cricket on the horizon for at least half a year, New Zealand will be
desperate to send Tim Southee off in style and restore some impetus to their weakened
side.
