England have recalled Matthew Potts for the third and final Test against New Zealand, with Chris Woakes making way.
The tourists have already secured the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy with big wins in Christchurch and Wellington and have taken the chance to rotate the seamers at Hamilton’s Seddon Park.
Potts, who won the last of his nine Test caps against Pakistan in October, is expected to take over Woakes’ new-ball role.
He enjoyed significant success against the Black Caps in 2022, his first summer as an England international, taking 14 wickets in three Tests including star batter Kane Williamson on three occasions.
Now 26, he will be hoping for similarly positive results as he looks to nail down his place in an increasingly competitive pack of pace bowling options.
“We’re looking forward to giving Pottsy an opportunity to see what he can do this week,” said captain Ben Stokes.
“He’s got a massive engine on him. He can go all day and bowl a lot of overs but not just that, he’s a very skilful bowler.
“He’s a versatile bowler, you can use him with the new ball and the short-ball plan that we go to because he’s so fit. He can bowl you 20 overs one day, then rock up again and bowl you another 20.”
Had the series been alive there is a strong chance that Woakes would have held his spot, a sign of how well he has fought to revive a touring career many thought had come to an end.
The Warwickshire all-rounder has long been frustrated by the disparity between his imperious statistics at home and some unimpressive numbers on the road, but ends the year in credit, with eight wickets at 35.63 in his three overseas outings.
It remains to be seen whether he has a role to play in next year’s Ashes trip, still almost a year away and in conditions where he has previously struggled to make an impact, but Stokes believes he has proved a point.
“You could look at it like that, yeah,” he said.
“Woakesy came into the winter tours with a bit of scrutiny behind his away record but I think what he has done has proved a lot of people wrong. He’s been fantastic for us, he was great in Pakistan and pretty influential over here too.
“At 2-0 up, you put yourself in an easier position to make that change and we want to be giving opportunities and experience to the guys who don’t always get that.”
Stokes also paid his own tribute to retiring Tim Southee, who will retire from international cricket this week.
Home captain Tom Latham stopped short of guaranteeing the veteran would be on the teamsheet when play gets under way at 10pm GMT on Friday, but the fact that the Pavilion End has been temporarily renamed in his honour this week, suggests his home crowd will get the chance to say farewell.
“Tim has been an incredible servant to New Zealand cricket. He’s done some great things out on the field and he’s New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker across all formats,” he said.
“I’ll always remember he’s someone who keeps coming at you, particularly with the ball, and he can be an absolute nightmare to bowl to.”