23-year-old Matthew James Potts is living the dream. He made his debut for England against New Zealand in the first test of the 3-match series.
For any other player making his debut, a good paragraph about who he is and all that would have been appropriate. But in this case, Ben Stokes did that for us.
"This kid is ready," said Ben Stokes, who plays alongside Potts at county side Durham.
He turned up on Day 4 with a bit of a stiff side, and some in his situation, with test selection coming round the corner and bowling as well as he has, could have just sat down and said - No, I'm going to look after myself. But he didn't. He ran in and won the game for Durham. That's the attitude that sets you up for the next level.
That's it. These words are enough for us to understand who Potts is as a player. Coming through the Durham ranks, Potts has climbed the ladder one rung at a time.
He played for the U-19 England team and made his first-class debut against Kent. The 23-year old is a medium pace bowler and a more than capable batter down the order.
In 24 FC matches, Matthew has taken 77 wickets at an economy of 2.91 at a strike rate of 55.3. He has four 5-wicket hauls to his name. It is worth noting that Potts is no Jofra Archer in terms of pace.
He bowls in the early 130s but is known to derive good bounce from length balls - something which can be fatal in Test cricket.
As far as his batting is concerned, he has accumulated 447 runs in 24 matches at an average of 17.19, with two fifties to his name. His highest score is 81.
Matthew James Potts is living the dream. How it turns out to be is a question, and going by Stokes' remarks, he'll put in everything he's got.
