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[Saba Sports News] Gus Atkinson described his first day as a Test cricketer as “more than I could have dreamed of” after an exhilarating debut at Lord’s. Playing his first red-ball game at the iconic venue, Atkinson needed just 53 balls to make it to the honors board, finishing with impressive figures of 7 for 45.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. Seeing my figures on the board, I just thought, ‘Wow.’ It was a very special day,” Atkinson reflected. “I was a bit nervous this morning. I woke up thinking about the day ahead and felt emotional. Having my family there for my cap presentation was amazing—just what I wanted. Taking a five-for is more than I could have dreamed of.”
On a slow Day 1 pitch, Atkinson joined the attack after the West Indies reached 34 for no-loss. His second delivery at this level bowled opposition captain Kraigg Brathwaite. He bowled three overs and took two wickets before conceding his first run.
“I was trying to stay level-headed. My dad said, ‘It’s the biggest day of your life.’ I told him to relax and not think that way. I was nervous initially, but after the first few overs, I felt calm,” he shared.
Atkinson, 26, stuck to his strength of quick cross-seam deliveries, using the Lord’s slope to great effect. Left-handers Kirk McKenzie and Alick Athanaze edged to the slip cordon. “My stock ball is the scrambled seam, and bowling with the slope from the Pavilion End felt dangerous today,” he explained. “I aimed for the fourth stump, running it down the hill, and used the odd in-swinger for the left-handers. It worked well for me.”
In his second spell, Atkinson wreaked havoc on the West Indies. He took three wickets in four balls in his ninth over, dismantling their middle order and joining Tom Hartley, Josh Tongue, Rehan Ahmed, and Will Jacks as recent England players to take a five-for on Test debut under Ben Stokes. Atkinson then took two more wickets in his 11th over, capping off a dramatic debut.
While it’s too soon to call his performance a passing of the torch, it did shift some attention from the retiring James Anderson, who leaves after 22 years and over 700 Test wickets.
“The focus was on Jimmy, so it was nice to go under the radar and focus on performing my best,” Atkinson said. “Being out there alongside Jimmy in his final Test was incredible. The Long Room moment and Jimmy leading us onto the pitch were surreal.”
Reflecting on his experience, Atkinson added, “I’ve played a few white-ball games here, and I always felt I’d bowl well with the red ball. Getting this opportunity in the first Test of the summer was great, and thankfully, it went well.”