Cricket-England’s Bethell, Potts and Tongue to play warmup game ahead of second test

(Reuters) -England’s Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue were picked to play a day-night warmup match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Monday.

The three players did not feature in England’s crushing eight-wicket defeat in Perth last week, a match that ended as the shortest Ashes test by overs bowled to produce a result since 1888.

“The England Men’s Ashes Test squad have released three players – Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue – to join the England Lions for their forthcoming two-day fixture against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra,” ECB said in a statement.

The match will be a day-night fixture, played with the pink ball, starting on Saturday.

Australia head into the Brisbane test with momentum and an imposing record in day-night matches, having won 13 of their 14 tests played under lights, including all three against England.

(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; editing by Ed Osmond)

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