'Amazing' - England pacer Gus Atkinson jubilated after Lord's century
Gus Atkinson, the 26-year-old Surrey cricketer, has expressed his elation after securing a spot on the Lord's honors board for the third time in two months. This rare achievement recognizes both his batting and bowling prowess. "It's amazing," Atkinson told ECB after his 115-ball 118 helped England finish with 427 in the second Test against Sri Lanka. "As a boy growing up, I always dreamt of getting on the Lord's honors board."
Atkinson's debut Test and journey to Lord's board
Atkinson first made it to the Lord's honors board during his debut Test in July, where he claimed a five-wicket haul and ended with a match haul of 12 against the West Indies. This was also James Anderson's farewell Test. On Friday (August 30), he became only the sixth cricketer to achieve the double of a 10-wicket haul and a Test hundred at Lord's, and did so in just four innings.
Atkinson's century: A special achievement
Atkinson's century was a significant milestone in his career. "To be honest, I never thought I'll be up there for a hundred. So to be up there is special," he said. He further added, "It's hard to choose between the two but to score a Test century at Lord's, it felt like...you're out there for three hours and whatever, and it's a long process scoring a hundred."
Atkinson's journey to century and future aspirations
Atkinson faced a challenging moment when he was given out leg-before but successfully reversed the decision after a review. He then hit several boundaries to reach his century in 103 balls. Despite his achievements, Atkinson remains humble and focused on future challenges. "I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself and I know how hard the game can be," he said.
Atkinson's historic achievement and batting position preference
Atkinson's performance has placed him among the elite group of six men to take both a 10-for and hit a hundred at Lord's. His century was also the first from England's lower order (No. 8-11) in over a decade, since Matt Prior in 2013. Despite his success, Atkinson is content with his current batting position. "I'm happy at eight; eight is good," he stated, showing no desire for a promotion in the batting order.
