Durham seamer Matthew Potts has been included in England’s team for the first test against Sri Lanka, starting at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Potts is replacing the injured Ben Stokes, who tore his hamstring playing in the Hundred domestic competition. After a breakout summer in 2022, Potts played just one test last year, but the bowler gets the opportunity to make his case after being chosen ahead of Olly Stone.

In the one other change to the England side that completed a 3-0 series sweep over West Indies last month, Dan Lawrence will open the batting, nearly 2 1/2 years since he won the last of his 11 caps. Zak Crawley’s fractured finger has opened up a vacancy at the top of the order as Ben Duckett’s new partner.

Lawrence started out as an opener in his early days with Essex, and scored a half-century for Surrey in April in a rare return to the top, but has made his name as a free-flowing middle-order strokemaker.

Ollie Pope captains the team in Stokes’ absence, with Harry Brook promoted to vice captain.

Stokes was with the team as they reported for duty in Manchester and is expected to be part of the dressing room throughout the three-match test series.