Gus Atkinson, the fast bowler from Surrey, had a remarkable debut in Test cricket at Lord’s, following advice from his father to prepare for what he called “the biggest day of your life.” Atkinson excelled with figures of 7-45 on the first day of the Test against the West Indies, surpassing the performance of England’s veteran James Anderson, who managed only one wicket in his final Test match before retirement.
Atkinson’s impressive bowling led to the West Indies being dismissed for 121 runs. England capitalized on this, with Zak Crawley scoring 76 and Ollie Pope adding 57, allowing the hosts to end the day at 189-3, holding a lead of 68 runs.
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The 26-year-old Atkinson had a dream start, taking the crucial wicket of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with his second ball and later claiming three wickets in a remarkable over after lunch.
Despite feeling nervous and emotional before the match, Atkinson tried to stay focused. His father’s words added to the pressure, with Atkinson jokingly telling him to relax and not think too much about the significance of the occasion.
“I was a bit nervous this morning, I woke up and all I could think about was the day ahead. I was emotional,” Atkinson told reporters after stumps.
“I tried to keep as level as possible but my Dad was saying ‘This is the biggest day of your life’. I just said ‘Relax! I’m trying not to think like that!’.”
“Quite Impressive”
Atkinson added: “He’s a passionate cricket enthusiast, so making him proud and bringing pride to my family means a lot to me.
“Walking through the Long Room afterward and seeing him there was quite special. If you asked me to describe a perfect day, that would be pretty close to it.”
Atkinson’s outstanding performance fell just short of being the best debut by an England bowler in Test cricket, with Dominic Cork taking 7-43 against the West Indies at Lord’s in 1995.
He also became the fifth England debutant to take five wickets in a Test innings during Ben Stokes’ tenure as captain.
“I feel immensely proud, though I don’t think it’s fully sunk in yet,” said Atkinson. “Looking up at the honours board and seeing my figures was a surreal moment. It was an incredibly special day.”
Anderson entered this match with the most wickets by any fast bowler in Test history, now standing at 701, behind only spinners Shane Warne (708) and Muttiah Muralitharan (800) in the all-time rankings.
“All the attention was on Jimmy, so it was nice to fly under the radar a bit and focus on giving my best performance,” Atkinson reflected.
“Being out there alongside Jimmy in his final Test was incredible. It was surreal to have him leading us on the pitch.
“Ben just told me to go out and do my thing, keeping it simple. Sometimes, talking too much can add unnecessary pressure.”
