IND vs ENG: Former Captain Nasser Hussain Gives His Vote Of Confidence To Matthew Potts- There Is Much To Be Excited About

Updated - 02 Jul 2022, 04:52 PM

Nasser Hussain - India-Australia
Nasser Hussain. Photo Credit: (Sky Sports)

Nasser Hussain, a former England captain, believes Matthew Potts will benefit England in the long run. The 23-year-Test old’s career has made a bright start under Ben Stokes’ leadership in England’s rout of New Zealand.

Potts has been praised for bringing something unique to the English attack, which has once again reverted to the swing and control of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, starting off with seven wickets in the first Test against the Kane Williamson-led side. 

Matthew Potts
Matthew Potts. Image: Twitter

Matthew Potts Got James Anderson And Stuart Broad To Learn From: Nasser Hussain

By taking two early wickets of Hanuma Vihari and Virat Kohli, the young player shown his talent and heart against India as well. It was usual for Potts to get the ball to nip back off the seam and locate Vihari directly in front of the wicket for the Indian number three to be dismissed.

Virat Kohli was mostly to blame for dismissal since he hesitated before reaching for the ball and drove an innocuous delivery into the stumps. 

Hussain said in his column for the Daily Mail that James Anderson and Stuart Broad would be the best people to educate Matthew Potts on how to improve certain aspects of his game since he has a lot to learn in the coming days. 

Matthew Potts (Image Credits: Twitter)
Matthew Potts (Image Credits: Twitter)

“Now Potts has two exceptional bowlers to left-handers in Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to learn from and maybe he could sit down and talk to them about it.

They both tend to go round the wicket to the lefties whereas so far Potts has tried both round and over and it is just an area he will have to work on now he is at the highest level,” opined Hussain in his column for Daily Mail. 

“Otherwise there is much to be excited about. Potts has a big heart, he’s good in the field and he is better with the bat than we have seen with England so far.

He will have seen how Jamie Overton made 97 in the final Test against New Zealand and will realise he has to contribute some runs to be confident of cementing his long-term place in this England side.” 

Matthew Potts Menatality Stands Out From The Rest: Nasser Hussain

Hussain said, “Potts’ mentality stands out from the rest of the crop, and the fact that he thinks he belongs on the world stage may work wonders for his game-playing philosophy.” 

“There are small things, too, that mark Potts out. He’s a confident lad. That might not sound the most important thing and people might say ‘what difference does that make?’ but his attitude strikes me as someone who feels he belongs at this level. He wants to be here and is not shy and doubting himself.” 

Matthew Potts. PC- Twitter
Matthew Potts. PC- Twitter

“(England director of men’s cricket) Rob Key said before the New Zealand series (that) Potts could be a point of difference in this attack and you can see what he means even though he’s not express pace.

The speed gun will tell you he’s bowling at low 80s but actually batters are rushed by him because of that slightly different trajectory and he’s a little bit skiddier and catches you in that in-between length,” Hussain explained about the added dimension of the England attack. 

In order to pitch their effective batting lineup against India’s pace attack on day two of the Test match, England will be hoping that Potts performs well. 

Also Read: SL vs AUS: Ashton Agar Ruled Out Of 2nd Test, Jon Holland Added To Squad

Tagged:

Hanuma Vihari IND vs ENG 2022 James Anderson Jamie Overton Matthew Potts Nasser Hussain Stuart Broad Virat Kohli