England vs NZ, 1st Test: Who is 23-year-old Matty Potts?
England ran riot on the first two days of the Lord's Test against New Zealand. One of their key contributors to the cause was 23-year-old Matty Potts. The right-arm pacer had a dream debut. He humbled the Kiwi middle-order, pocketing eye-grabbing figures of 4/13 in the first inning. He finished with figures of 2/50 on Day 2. Here, we decode Potts' journey.
Potts trumps Williamson across innings at Lord's
Potts' maiden Test scalp was none other than Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. It turned out to be a horrific Test comeback for Williamson, who was out on a paltry total (2) in the first innings. Potts bowled full and the latter nicked one straight to the keeper. Later, Williamson (15) was dismissed while trying to slice a short outside off.
A look at Potts' domestic career
23-year-old Potts made his First-Class debut against Kent in 2017. Since then, he has clipped 77 wickets in 24 matches. He averages 26.90 and has affected five four-fers and four five-fers. In 10 List A matches, Potts has grabbed 16 scalps at 23.37. In T20s, the right-armer has 49 wickets from 40 matches at 22.46. His best figures in this format read 3/8.
Highest wicket-taker in County Championship Division Two
Potts snared 35 scalps in six matches that he played for Durham in the County Championship underway. He is the highest wicket-taker in Division Two. He averaged a stellar 18.57 and captured four five-fers before receiving his maiden Test call-up.
Potts' initial years in the world of cricket
Potts, who is a graduate of Durham Academy, garnered attention at the England Under-19 level. He had a noticeable run in his maiden campaign at the 2019 Vitality Blast. Averaging 19.52, he captured 17 wickets in 12 matches. He finished as the highest wicket-taker for Durham in that tournament. He continued to excel for Durham and later Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
