England’s Gus Atkinson expressed that he was not surprised by his maiden Test century, scoring an impressive 118 in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. His performance makes him the first England number eight to reach a Test century in 11 years.
This knock also marked Atkinson’s first-ever first-class hundred, surpassing his previous high score of 91. It was his first century in any form of cricket since scoring 108 not out in a second XI match against Worcestershire in 2018.
“I’ve been frustrated with my batting this year,” Atkinson stated. “I know how good a player I can be, and I feel like I’ve got a lot of natural ability with the bat. I felt like I was moving well and hitting the ball cleanly—it was one of those days where everything came off.”
Atkinson’s contribution helped England reach 427 all out in their first innings, and he contributed further with two wickets as Sri Lanka was dismissed for 196. England chose not to enforce the follow-on and ended the day at 25-1, leading by 256 runs.
His score of 118 is now the joint-third highest for an England number eight in Test history, marking a remarkable start to his international career. In his debut Test against the West Indies on the same ground last month, Atkinson took 12 wickets for 106 runs, achieving the fourth-best match figures by a debutant bowler.
Incredibly, with his five wickets in an innings, a total of ten in a match, and now a century, Atkinson has secured a spot on all three of Lord’s honours boards after just five days of Test cricket.
“It’s very surreal,” he told Test Match Special. “I’ve always dreamed of being on the Lord’s honours board, particularly for my bowling, so to see my name there for batting is incredible. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Atkinson previously had three first-class half-centuries, the latest against Kent in 2023. Earlier this season, he batted as low as number 10 for Surrey but has now found a place at number eight for England due to an adjustment in the batting order following an injury to captain Ben Stokes.
Overnight, he was 74 not out and needed just 22 deliveries on the second day to reach three figures, achieving his century off 103 balls—the sixth-fastest hundred at Lord’s.
Atkinson emphasized there’s “no reason” he cannot continue to contribute significantly with the bat: “I’ll try to score as many runs as I can. I’ve always backed my batting but haven’t had many opportunities to score big runs for Surrey. Getting the chance to bat at eight was vital, and I hope for more opportunities going forward.”
He was joined at the match by his father Ed, with whom he attended games at Lord’s as a child. His mother, Caroline, tragically passed away in a car accident in 2022. Reflecting on how she would have felt, Atkinson said, “She would have been extremely proud. She would have loved to be here. It was emotional at times, but a very special day. I just focused on my batting and tried not to get ahead of myself. Thankfully, I got there in the end.”
Credit: BBC Sport
