England recall Matthew Potts for first Test against Sri Lanka with Gus Atkinson pushed up to No 8 - as replacement for injured captain Ben Stokes is named

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England have recalled Durham seamer Matthew Potts for Wednesday’s first Test against Sri Lanka, pushing Gus Atkinson as high as No 8 in a reconfiguration brought about by the injury to Ben Stokes.

With England unwilling to risk a four-man attack in what will be Ollie Pope’s first Test in charge while Stokes recovers from the hamstring injury sustained during The Hundred, wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will move up a place to No 6, with Chris Woakes at No 7.

For Potts, who has played only Test – against Ireland – since August 2022, it is a chance to build on the impression he made on debut against New Zealand two years ago, when he had match figures of seven for 68 at Lord’s.

And while his form for Durham this season has not been spectacular – his 21 wickets in division one of the county championship – have cost nearly 34 apiece, he has an important advocate in Stokes, and performed well for England Lions in India over the winter.

England have recalled Durham seamer Matthew Potts for the first Test against Sri Lanka

Gus Atkinson is at No 8 in a reconfiguration brought about by the injury to Ben Stokes 

Dan Lawrence will replace the injured Zak Crawley at the top of the order for England

Ollie Pope will take charge of a Test match for the first time due to Stokes' hamstring injury

With Dan Lawrence replacing the injured Zak Crawley at the top of the order in his first Test since the tour of the West Indies that marked the end of the Joe Root era in early 2022, England have a new-look team for the second time this summer – having made changes ahead of the 3-0 win over West Indies.

Harry Brook, meanwhile, will be Pope’s vice-captain for the three-match series. 

Many believe he could yet overtake Pope and become Stokes’s long-term replacement, with Mail Sport’s Nasser Hussain arguing he is one to watch.

England team for first Test vs Sri Lanka: 1 Dan Lawrence, 2⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, 3 ⁠Ollie Pope (capt), 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 ⁠Jamie Smith (wkt), 7 ⁠Chris Woakes, 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Matthew Potts, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Shoaib Bashir