England named their playing XI for the third and final Test of their home series against Sri Lanka, with young seamer Josh Hull set to get his maiden Test cap.
England and the Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement to announce their playing XI for the final Test against the Asian side, beginning on Friday at The Oval.
“England Men have announced their XI for the third Rothesay Test match against Sri Lanka, starting at the Kia Oval on Friday, 6 September,” ECB said in a statement.
Hull, a 20-year-old left-arm quick, has replaced Matthew Potts from the playing XI for the series concluder.
The Leicestershire seamer has been making a name for himself in England’s domestic set-up in the past 12 months.
At 6’7, Hull would be keen to use his height as an advantage to generate bounce off the surface and cause Sri Lanka batters trouble.
Potts, who got replaced for the final Test, scythed only five wickets in four innings. But he struck when England needed to break partnerships across both Tests.
Hull’s inclusion alongside Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson will add more firepower to England’s talented bowling line-up.
Pope said that Hull could use his height to his advantage to extract “extra bounce” and force out edges from the opposition batters.
“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,” Pope said. “It’s a really exciting week for him,” Pope said in the pre-match press conference, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
“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,” he added.
England gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series following their effortless win in the second Test.
Under the leadership of stand-in skipper Ollie Pope, England raced to a 5-wicket win on Day 4. In the second clash, the play once again concluded on Day 4 with the hosts standing tall at the Lord’s with a thumping 190-run success.
England playing XI for the third Test against 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.
(With ANI Inputs)
