Matthew Potts stakes claim for England spot in second Ashes Test as Prime Minister's XI set Lions 309 target on day one of warm-up
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Updated 29/11/2025 at 15:37 GMT
Matthew Potts claimed two wickets, but an England Lions side including Josh Tongue were made to toil through a demanding opening day against the Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra, where Campbell Kellaway reinforced his growing reputation with a composed 82 for Australia. Watch the second Test of the NRMA Insurance men's Ashes series from Thursday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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Matthew Potts claimed two wickets, but the England Lions were forced to grind through a demanding opening day against the Prime Minister's XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra, where Campbell Kellaway underlined his rising reputation with an assured 82 for Australia.
Potts, who finished with figures of 2-40, was the standout among England's bowlers, troubling batters regularly with his short-pitched attack. Tom Haines (2-51) and Tom Hartley (2-55) also chipped in.
The performance came amid news on Saturday that fast bowler Mark Wood is expected to miss the pivotal second Test of the NRMA Insurance men's Ashes series in Brisbane due to concerns over his left knee.
Attention has already shifted to identifying his potential replacement for Thursday’s day-night Test at the Gabba, with Josh Tongue emerging as the most likely candidate.
Tongue, along with Potts and Jacob Bethell, was released from the Ashes squad to feature in the Canberra fixture on what proved to be a batter-friendly surface.
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Campbell Kellaway impressed on the opening day of the warm-up game
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Tongue's return of 0-48 from 16 overs, which included four maidens, reflected a disciplined if wicketless spell as Kellaway strengthened his credentials as a possible heir to Usman Khawaja at the top of Australia's order.
The lead-up to the match had been dominated by criticism of England’s decision not to field their senior players, opting instead for a second-string side. Michael Vaughan labelled the approach "amateurish", questioning its value as preparation for a pink-ball Test.
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Played across two days with the pink ball, the match saw Australia declare two wickets short of being bowled out, setting England a target of 309.
After Sam Konstas' brisk 36 from 53 balls was ended by Haines, Nathan McSweeney's composed 63 kept the Lions under pressure.
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Kellaway continued to accelerate before Hartley removed him in the 35th over thanks to a superb one-handed catch from Haines, the batter having struck 10 boundaries - eight fours and two sixes.
England were made to wait before Potts finally broke the century stand between McSweeney and Oliver Peake, who contributed 54.
An unbeaten 33 from Joel Curtis lifted the hosts to a competitive 308 before the declaration left England's openers with five overs to negotiate before stumps.
Captain Haines and Emilio Gay survived the late examination, finishing on 17 and 12 respectively, as the Lions aim to rebuild confidence following their bruising two-day defeat in the opening Ashes Test in Perth.
"The Aussie lads batted well for the first two sessions and were hard to contain but we didn't let our heads get down," said Hartley, after the Lions rallied to take six wickets for just 59 runs.
"Once the lights came on, it looked like the batters were jumping around a bit more and the ball was skipping on."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was not in attendance because he was getting married to his partner Jodie Haydon.
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