Josh Hull makes England debut in third Test against Sri Lanka

At 20 years and 17 days, Hull will be the third youngest seamer to play a men's Test for England after Ben Hollioake and Sam Curran, who were both 19.

Ollie Pope, who captains England in this series in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, believes Hull will add a crucial difference to the hosts' bowling attack.

“I don't normally face bowlers in the nets but having never played against him before I was keen to get in there and see what he could do,” Pope said.

“His potential is so high – he's obviously 6'3” and can swing the ball with decent pace. He's inexperienced but he's got some good skills.

“I'm sure he can go out there this week and show what he can do.”

Pope goes into the game with a top score of just 17 in the series and has faced criticism from former England captain Michael Vaughan for his role in the team.

However, the Surrey batsman will be hoping to return to form this week on his home ground, where he averages 80.6 in first-class cricket.

“I'm comfortable in the net,” said the 26-year-old Pope. “Last week I hit a pull shot with the top edge and got caught at deep point. That's how it can go in cricket sometimes.”

“I'll learn from this, but now I feel like I'm back to normal. So, yeah, hopefully there will be some runs this week.”