County Championship: England's Matthew Potts claims nine-wicket haul for Durham
England cricket team pacer Matthew Potts, a key player for Durham, delivered an outstanding performance in the County Championship Division One match against Lancashire at The Riverside. The pacer managed nine wickets for 68 runs in Lancashire's 2nd innings. This exceptional feat played a crucial role in Durham's stupendous victory over Lancashire by an innings and 63 runs. The match concluded on the fourth day with Lancashire scoring 228 and 282, while Durham declared at 573-9. Here's more.
Lancashire's struggle against Potts
Lancashire resumed the final day at 155-4, needing an additional 190 runs to avoid a fourth innings defeat this season. However, they lost their final six wickets in less than a session, ending their innings at 282. Potts nearly achieved a hat-trick during his stunning spell but had to settle for three wickets in four deliveries when Tom Bailey edged his second ball to Scott Borthwick at first slip. Earlier in the 1st innings, he managed 3/58.
Potts's final wicket seals victory for Durham
Potts concluded the match by dismissing Anderson Phillip LBW, finishing with match figures of 12 wickets for 126 runs. Lancashire's downfall began when George Balderson was declared LBW to Potts for 16. The game ended when Potts was brought back into action as he dismissed Phillip for 41. The last man standing for Lancashire, Tom Aspinwall, remained unbeaten on 26 as Durham celebrated their victory.
Durham awarded 24 points, Potts to join England's squad
The victory awarded Durham 24 points, effectively eliminating any remaining fears of relegation. In contrast, Lancashire earned just one point from the County Division One match, keeping them in ninth place. In a significant development for Durham fans, Potts is set to join England's squad for the upcoming ODIs and will not be available for County duty for the remainder of this season.
10th five-wicket haul for Potts in FC cricket
Potts was recently seen playing for England against Sri Lanka. He played the first two Tests, taking five wickets in total. As per ESPNcricinfo, with his 12 wickets versus Lancashire, Potts has raced to 235 wickets at 24.07. The nine-wicket haul is his best performance. This was also Potts' 10th five-wicket haul in FC cricket and third match-haul of 10-plus wickets. Notably, he owns 28 Test wickets for England at 29.32.
