England bowler Matthew Potts described Ben Stokes as an inspiration after he bowled 23 overs on the first day of the third Test against New Zealand.

Stokes, 33, has overcome knee surgery and a hamstring injury in the last 14 months and bowled his most overs in an innings for over two years as his England side chase a whitewash series victory in Hamilton.

The tourists put their hosts into bat and reduced them to 315-9 on day one, with captain Stokes claiming the wicket of Matt Henry late on, thanks in large part to a sensational catch from Harry Brook, after bowling more overs than any of his team-mates.

Fellow Durham man Potts said: "Massive plaudits to the skipper, he can be really proud of his efforts.

"He leads the team by example. He probably won't want to take the credit but when we see him doing special things like that, it motivates you to put in that extra 1% for the team.

"He bowled three long spells there and one of them was eight overs of bouncers."

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Potts returned to the side in place of Chris Woakes for the third Test and impressed in his own right, with the key wicket of Kane Williamson among his three scalps on day one.

The 26-year-old has been in and out of the England team since debuting in 2022 but is happy to remain patient for more consistent opportunities.

He said: "I enjoy every moment being part of this squad. There are always jobs I can be doing, helping out.

"The competition for places is really high and that's a great thing for the team. These things happen. You travel around a little bit and don't play, then you get an opportunity."

England will be aiming to wrap up the New Zealand innings quickly on day two before getting to work with the bat on what looks a good pitch.

Potts said: "It's in the balance. The pitch played better throughout the day and started to look like a decent batting wicket.

"We were excellent. We persevered with the ball and in the field and stuck at it in the heat."