“Couldn’t Have Asked For More”: Gus Atkinson After Match-Winning Fifer, Century Against Sri Lanka “Couldn’t Have Asked For More”: Gus Atkinson After Match-Winning Fifer, Century Against Sri Lanka
“Couldn’t Have Asked For More”: Gus Atkinson After Match-Winning Fifer, Century Against Sri Lanka

September 2, 2024

“Couldn’t Have Asked For More”: Gus Atkinson After Match-Winning Fifer, Century Against Sri Lanka

After England’s series victory over Sri Lanka, pacer Gus Atkinson shared how special it was for him to feature on all of Lord’s honours boards and to bat alongside Joe Root in the first innings. Atkinson’s performance was standout, as he achieved a rare double with a match-winning century and a five-wicket haul at the famous venue. His efforts contributed to England’s 190-run win over Sri Lanka and secured the series 2-0.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Atkinson said, “I could not have asked for much more. To get on both honour’s boards, it is incredible. It will take a while to sink in. (On Joe Root) He has been excellent this week. Batting alongside him for so long in the first innings was very special. First red-ball games at Lord’s and it is gone pretty well, I enjoy bowling with the slope, it is just gone my way, and long may it continue. I will do what they say (when asked if he would be okay to bowl from the Nursery End). The way we go about the game, we just like to attack. And as a bowler, it is great to be able to attack and not worry about runs too much. Physically, it is quite demanding running over after over, but I have enjoyed it so much, looking forward to it going forward.”

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field first. England scored 427 runs in their first innings, thanks to centuries from Joe Root (143 off 206 balls, including 18 fours) and Gus Atkinson (118 off 115 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes).

Asitha Fernando was the top bowler for Sri Lanka, taking 5 wickets for 102 runs, while Milan Rathnayake and Lahiru Kumara each claimed two wickets. Despite a strong innings of 74 from Kamindu Mendis (120 balls, 8 fours, 3 sixes), Sri Lanka only managed 196 runs, with Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, and Matthew Potts taking two wickets each, and Shoaib Bashir adding one. England led by 231 runs.

In their second innings, England scored 251 runs, led by Joe Root’s 103 (121 balls, 10 fours) and Harry Brook’s 37 (36 balls, four fours, one six). Sri Lanka improved their bowling with Asitha Fernando (3/52) and Lahiru Kumara (3/53) leading the way.

Chasing 483, Sri Lanka fought hard with half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne (55 off 129 balls, 7 fours), Dinesh Chandimal (58 off 62 balls, 11 fours), and Dhananjaya de Silva (50 off 71 balls, 7 fours). However, they were all out for 292 runs, losing by 190 runs.

Gus Atkinson was the standout bowler, taking 5 wickets for 62 runs, marking his third five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Olly Stone and Chris Woakes also contributed with two wickets each. Atkinson was named ‘Player of the Match’ for his exceptional performance.

Gautam Gambhir’s All-Time India XI: 2 Big Names Snubbed But Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni In

Gautam Gambhir recently revealed his all-time India XI, leaving out some of the country’s greatest cricketers. As the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, Gambhir had to make tough choices for his dream team. Surprisingly, he excluded current ODI captain Rohit Sharma and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.

In his XI, Gambhir chose himself and Virender Sehwag as the opening pair, excluding Rohit Sharma, who is widely regarded as one of the top openers. Rahul Dravid, whom Gambhir replaced as head coach, was selected at No. 3. At No. 4, Gambhir picked Sachin Tendulkar, followed by Virat Kohli. Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni were named at No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Notably, even Sourav Ganguly did not make the cut in Gambhir’s selection.


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Katarzyna Nowak

Katarzyna Nowak is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in editorial content, news reporting, and cricket sportsbook app reviews. As an author for The Wicket Insider, she combines her deep understanding of the sports betting industry with a passion for cricket, delivering insightful and accurate content that keeps readers informed and engaged.