Gus Atkinson plotting to oust Ben Stokes? Pacer makes bold statement on his batting position

England fast bowler Gus Atkinson has said that he doesn’t want to move further up the batting order despite scoring his maiden Test century against Sri Lanka. Gus Atkinson has admitted that he is happy batting at eight in the England Test lineup and would consider batting higher in the future.

Atkinson showcased his batting skills in international cricket for the first time during the ODI World Cup match against South Africa. The right-handed batter scored 35 runs off 21 balls in England's heavy defeat. He also scored a couple of 21s in his debut Test series against the West Indies at home.

The bowler was promoted to No. 8 due to the absence of skipper Ben Stokes. He scored 118 off 115 balls as England posted 427 runs. Atkinson became the first England lower-order (positions 8-11) batsman to score a century since Stuart Broad's 169 in 2010, excluding innings with nightwatchmen.

I Haven't Thought About It Too Much - Gus Atkinson

Speaking after the second day's play, Gus Atkinson spoke about his batting position. Atkinson said that he is satisfied with his current position batting at No. 8 in Test cricket.

"I'm happy at eight; eight is good. I haven't thought about it too much… obviously missing Stokesy this series gave me the opportunity to bat No. 8, and thankfully I scored a hundred. Going forward, obviously I'd like to bat as high as possible," Atkinson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

The 26-year-old cricketer said that he has been frustrated as he hasn't been scoring many runs for Surrey. Atkinson mentioned that he has a lot of natural ability with the bat and added that it was one of those days when everything came off.

"I've been frustrated with my batting this year: I haven't really scored many runs for Surrey at all. But I know how good a player I can be. I feel like I've got so much natural ability with the bat and I felt like I was moving really well and hitting the ball really cleanly. It was just one of those days where it comes off for you," he added.

It Was Just Pure Elation - Gus Atkinson

Gus Atkinson had not scored a hundred in first-class cricket before the Lord's Test match. He described the experience as one of pure elation and relief, adding that it was a pretty surreal moment for him.

"It was just pure elation. I was so happy, so relieved. It was a pretty surreal moment. I was pretty happy [last night]. I'd scored 70-odd already, so I tried to not put too much pressure on myself: if I got out, I got out. I just wanted to continue to play the way that I played yesterday."

After scoring a century, Atkinson also took two wickets as Sri Lanka was dismissed for 196 in their first innings. England finished the day at 25-1 in their second innings, holding a substantial lead of 256 runs.

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