Matthew Potts replaces Woakes in England's XI for Hamilton Test

England have confirmed that Matthew Potts will play the third Test against New Zealand in Hamilton, replacing Chris Woakes. England have already clinched the series 2-0 after convincing victories in Christchurch and Wellington.

Since making his debut against New Zealand in 2022, Potts has played only nine Tests, picking a total of 31 wickets at an average of 29.22. He had a memorable debut Test, picking seven wickets, including twice dismissing Kane Williamson, but his career hasn’t taken off as he would have liked.

"It's another opportunity to look at one of the fast bowlers that we see playing a big role going forward. Two-nil up, you put yourself obviously in an easier position to make that change,” England skipper Ben Stokes said ahead of the final Test.

"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."

As a matter of fact, none of England's specialist bowlers -- also comprising seamers Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir -- has played more than 14 Tests. 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. He was great over in Pakistan, and obviously he's been influential here in New Zealand in the two games he's got,” Stokes said.

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 finalizing his starting XI.

"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."

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