England fast bowler Gus Atkinson said that he never thought that he would get his name on the Lord’s honours board as a batter after scoring his maiden Test hundred on Day 2 of the second Test against Sri Lanka. Notably, Gus Atkinson played a a magnificent innings of 118 (115) with the help of 14 fours and four sixes to help England reach a good score of 427 in the first innings.
Coming in to bat at number 8, Gus Atkinson got involved in a crucial 92-run stand for the seventh wicket with Joe Root and later added 85 runs for the ninth wicket with Matthew Potts (21) to bring England in a commanding position. Reacting to his maiden Test hundred at the home of cricket, Gus Atkinson called the entire experience surreal and said that he never thought about having his name in the honorary list.
Gus Atkinson shares honours amongst leaders on Lord’s honours board.
Following his century, Gus Atkinson got his name in the elite list as he became just the sixth player to score a hundred and take a ten-wicket haul at Lord’s. Earlier, he got his career off to a remarkable start picking a 12-wicket haul on debut against West Indies in July. He now has his name in all three honours board at the historic venue namely players with five wicket haul, ten wicket haul and a century.
The 26-year-old took just four innings to complete the feat, becoming the fastest player to do so. Meanwhile, England finished Day 2 on top of the game as they bundled out Sri Lanka for 196 to take a massive 231-run lead in the first innings. They finished the day on 25/1 after seven overs with Ben Duckett (15*) and Ollie Pope (2*) at the crease.
Gus Atkinson tones down expectations after maiden ton on Day 2 of 2nd ENG vs SL 2024 Test
England fast bowler Gus Atkinson asserted that he is happy batting at eight and is not seeking a promotion in the batting order despite scoring a fantastic ton on Day 2 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Friday, August 30. Speaking about his maiden Test hundred, the 26-year-old said that it was just one of those days when everything came off.
Gus Atkinson, who made his Test debut against West Indies at Lord’s in July this year, hammered 118 off 115 balls in England’s first innings as the hosts put up 427. The right-handed batter, who was unbeaten on 74 overnight, cruised to his maiden Test on Friday at the same venue where he made his Test debut.
Speaking after the second day’s play, though, Gus Atkinson toned down expectations of him being a future all-round prospect for England in Test cricket. The fast bowler said (as quoted by ESPNCricinfo):
“I’m happy at eight; eight is good. I haven’t thought about it too much… obviously missing Stokesy [Ben Stokes] this series gave me the opportunity to bat No. 8, and thankfully I scored a hundred. Going forward, obviously I’d like to bat as high as possible.”
Speaking on his overall batting performance in recent times, the England cricketer went on to add:
“I’ve been frustrated with my batting this year: I haven’t really scored many runs for Surrey at all. But I know how good a player I can be. I feel like I’ve got so much natural ability with the bat and I felt like I was moving really well and hitting the ball really cleanly. It was just one of those days where it comes off for you.”
Gus Atkinson struck 14 fours and four sixes in his impressive knock before being dismissed by Asitha Fernando, who claimed 5-102 from 24 overs.
Gus Atkinson on reaching maiden Test ton calls it a surreal moment
Before his three-figure score on Day 2 of the Lord’s Test on Friday, Gus Atkinson did not have a hundred in first-class cricket as well. No wonder he was elated with the achievement. The moment was even more special as his father was at the stadium to watch him reach the landmark. Sharing his feeling on reaching his maiden Test ton, the England cricketer said:
“It was just pure elation. I was so happy, so relieved. It was a pretty surreal moment. I was pretty happy [last night]. I’d scored 70-odd already, so I tried to not put too much pressure on myself: if I got out, I got out. I just wanted to continue to play the way that I played yesterday.”
After scoring a hundred, Gus Atkinson also claimed two wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 196 in their first innings. England were 25-1 at stumps in their second innings, with a healthy overall lead of 256 runs.