- Only third man with five-fer and century in same Test
- Stand-in captain Ollie Pope defends own performance
England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, paid tribute to Gus Atkinson after his pace bowler – or should that be all‑rounder? – secured his side a series win against Sri Lanka. After a maiden hundred on the second day, Atkinson, the player of the match, was back on the honours board at Lord’s with five for 62 on the fourth and final day. He joined Tony Greig and Ian Botham as only the third England player to take a five-fer and score a century in the same men’s Test.
“He’s obviously smashed it so far in his Test career,” Pope said of Atkinson, who now averages 18.06 with the ball and 32.66 with the bat in his five-Test career. Lord’s has proved a particularly happy hunting ground for the 26-year-old, after he took 12 wickets on his debut here against West Indies.
Written by Emma John at Lord’s
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/sep/01/gus-atkinson-earns-captains-praise-after-taking-5-62-to-join-england-elite under the title “‘Smashed it’: Atkinson earns Pope praise after taking 5-62 to join England elite”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
