Josh Hull set for Test debut against Sri Lanka at The Oval

Left-arm pacer Josh Hull is all set to make his debut in the third Test against Sri Lanka on September 6 (Friday). He will replace Matthew Potts in the XI, which is the only change. Hull, who stands at 6ft 7in, replaced Mark Wood in the series after the pacer sustained a thigh injury during the first Test.

The fast bowler has taken 11 wickets at 84.54 in the County Championship for Leicestershire, but his physical attributes combined with the fact that he picked up 5/74 on England Lions debut against the visiting Sri Lankan team further pushed the team management to pick him.

The 20-year-old has also been named in the white-ball series against Australia at home, starting with the T20Is from September 11. However, he will miss the first T20I, as there is about a 24-hour turnover between the end of the Oval Test and the start of the T20I.

Speaking of Hull, England's stand-in captain Ollie Pope said,"When you're 6ft 7in, and you can get it down pushing up to the 85-90mph mark, and with a bit of swing with the left-arm angle, there's a lot to like about it. It's a really exciting week for him."

Given that Hull is tall and lanky, Pope believes he could give the attack a different dimension. "With the height, you can draw in some more edges with that extra bounce," he explained. 

"It makes it a lot harder to drive the ball, especially if there is a little bit of bounce at The Oval - which there can be, especially early in the game.

"And then the angle... We've played four right-arm seamers for the first two games, so it's just something different for the batters to think about in the opposition, with the ball coming into the right-hander and obviously away from the left-hander, with that swing. It's a point of difference, and he's got some good pace as well when he's clicking in the nets."

England XI for third Test vs Sri Lanka: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, Josh Hull, Shoaib Bashir

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.