Matthew Potts

Matthew James Potts is a right-arm pacer and a more than handy batter who has come for Durham through the academy system and then donned England’s jersey at U-19 level. Potts became an overnight sensation on his debut when he was given a field of nine slips against Kent. 

The Durham-born was contracted by the local county for a three-year deal after his Under-19 stint in 2017. He made his List A debut for Durham in the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup and got the T20 cap in the following season against Northamptonshire in the T20 Blast.

In the three couple of seasons, Potts became a hit for Durham in the red-ball format, but he didn’t find success in the shorter formats until 2020. Throughout the season, the pacer grabbed countless eyeballs due to his unparalleled performances. 

The right-arm quick was named Durham’s joint leading wicket-taker in the Blast, taking 13 wickets in 10 matches, at an average of 18.07. 

The following year, the promising pacer was drafted in the Northern Superchargers squad for the inaugural season of the Hundred. Potts brings an additional tangent with his hitting down the order, which makes a bigger prospect for league cricket. 

Potts featured heavily in the County Championship, finishing the season with 25 wickets at an average of 28.8. His success wasn’t built on raw pace alone—it was his discipline, control, and ability to extract movement off the seam that stood out. He bowled long, probing spells and often did the thankless work of building pressure—traits that rarely grab headlines but win matches and selectors' respect. By season's end, he had clearly emerged as Durham's leading pace option, a consistent threat in all conditions.

Year 2022 was where Potts kicked it wide open. From county standout to Test match warrior, Potts made the kind of leap most young quicks only dream of—bursting onto the international scene with fire, control, and a Lord’s debut for the ages.

The year began with an electric run in the County Championship, where he took 35 wickets at 18.6 in the early part of the season for Durham. Then came June 2, 2022, when Matthew Potts’ Test debut made his Test debut at the Lord’s. He made it count in style, ripping through New Zealand with figures of 4 for 13 in the first innings, helping dismiss them for just 132.

In July, he featured in the rescheduled fifth Test against India at Edgbaston, where he played more of a support role to James Anderson and Stuart Broad, picking up four wickets as England chased down a record 378. Then in August, during the first Test against South Africa at Lord’s, Potts added two more wickets to his tally but was dropped for Ollie Robinson in the following games—a harsh call, but not a reflection of his impact.

Potts was not picked for the early-year Test tours to New Zealand and Bangladesh, with England opting for horses-for-courses selections. Though he travelled with the extended Ashes warm-up squad in June–July, he didn’t feature in the blockbuster Ashes series itself.

Despite starting 2024 on the sidelines—not selected for England’s Test tour of India due to spin-friendly conditions—Potts doubled down on his domestic form. What followed was one of his most complete County Championship seasons yet.

From April to September, Potts claimed 49 wickets at 22.4, finishing as Durham’s leading wicket-taker and one of the most consistent performers across both divisions. He wasn’t just taking wickets—he was bowling long, gruelling spells with unrelenting accuracy and bounce, wearing down batters the old-fashioned way.

The consistent pressure finally paid off. In the summer of 2024, Potts was recalled to the England Test side for the final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval. He delivered emphatically, picking up 3/49 in the first innings and 2/34 in the second, reasserting his credentials as a reliable red-ball seamer.

Potts’ impressive performances have put him back in contention for a regular Test spot. With England expected to play a full home summer, the selectors are likely to lean on Potts for his ability to maintain control and pick up key middle-order wickets.

(As of May 2025)