Dissecting Gus Atkinson's incredible Test numbers at Lord's
What's the story
England clinched a 115-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test match at Lord's, London. The win was largely due to a brilliant performance by fast bowler Gus Atkinson, who claimed his fourth five-wicket haul on this iconic ground. The pacer bowled a sensational spell in the fourth innings as the hosts bowled out the Kiwis for just 138. On this note, we look at Atkinson's stunning Test returns at Lord's.
Record
Atkinson joins elite company with 5th fifer at Lord's
Atkinson was the pick of England's bowlers in the final innings. He took 5/30 in 11.3 overs, including three maidens. The pacer also struck twice across five overs in the first innings, finishing with 2/9. His latest efforts have put him in an elite group of bowlers. As per ESPNcricinfo, Atkinson now shares the record for the fourth-most Test fifers at Lord's with Derek Underwood (4 each). They are only behind Ian Botham (8), James Anderson (7), and Fred Trueman (5).
Debut
A stunning debut in 2024
Atkinson's Test debut, which also took place at Lord's in 2024, was a dream one. The Surrey pacer finished with 12 wickets against West Indies. These are the third-best match figures on debut for England. He finished with 7/45 in his first outing, the 3rd-best innings figures on debut for England, before scalping five more wickets (5/61) in his second outing.
Information
Best bowling average and the venue
Atkinson has bowled across six innings of three Lord's Test, claiming as many as 26 wickets. His average of 9.5 is the best among bowlers with at least 20 scalps at the venue. Chris Woakes is the next Englishman on this list with an average of 14.38.
Century
Atkinson also owns a Lord's hundred
Just over a month after his debut, Atkinson put up another stellar show at Lord's - this time with the bat. Batting at eight in the first innings, the pacer scored a sensational 118 from 115 balls, striking at 102.61. He smashed 14 fours and four sixes. With this, Atkinson became the sixth player with a Test hundred and 10-fer at Lord's. The same game also saw Atkinson claim a fifer (5/62 in 4th innings). He became just the third all-rounder to hammer a hundred and take a fifer in the same Lord's Test.
Career stats
Fast bowler races to 76 Test wickets
As mentioned, Atkinson made his Test debut in July 2024 at Lord's. In just 17 matches, the speedster has taken 76 wickets at an average of 22.5. His tally includes five five-wicket hauls apart from a match haul of 10 wickets. Notably, he has claimed 52 of these wickets in nine home Tests at an impressive average of 18.46.