Gus Atkinson hilariously reveals father's advice before dream Test debut vs West Indies
Published - 11 Jul 2024, 03:25 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:15 AM
Gus Atkinson enjoyed a stunning Test debut on Wednesday (July 10) as he starred with the ball to put England in the driver's seat against West Indies in the first Test.
On a day that was supposed to belong entirely to the retiring James Anderson, Gus Atkinson managed to steal the limelight with his sensational 7-wicket haul. After Anderson and Chris Woakes could not give England the first breakthrough in the first ten overs, Ben Stokes handed the ball to the debutant and he made an instant impact.
After picking up two wickets in quick succession, Gus Atkinson picked up 3 wickets in the 35th over to complete a brilliant 5-wicket haul. He then went on to pick two more wickets as England bowled out West Indies for a paltry total of 121. The right-arm pacer also equaled the English record of most wickets in an innings on Test debut.
Gus Atkinson opens up about his debut:
Speaking at the end of the day's play, Gus Atkinson opened up on the experience that he went through before making his Test debut. The 26-year-old hilariously revealed that while he was trying to keep things simple, his father's advice did not help him much. Atkinson senior made sure to remind his nervous son about the importance of the day.
"I was trying to keep as level as possible. My dad was saying, ‘It’s the biggest day of your life.’ And I was saying, ‘Relax!’ I was a bit nervous to start with but once the first few overs were bowled I was pretty calm," Gus Atkinson said.
"I was a bit nervous this morning. I woke up and all I could think about was the day ahead. I was a bit emotional this morning and then having my family there for my cap presentation – if you could have asked me what I wanted from my day that was pretty close to the top. It was pretty cool. Just to take a five-for is amazing, more than I could have dreamed of," he added.
Meanwhile, England finished the day strongly as well. At stumps on day one, the hosts were on 189 for 3, Opener Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope led England's charge with the bat, scoring 76 and 57 respectively. Joe Root (15) and Harry Brook (25) remained unbeaten at the end of the day.
