England Pacer Gus Atkinson’s Historic Comeback
England pacer Gus Atkinson achieved a historic feat on Day 2 of the fifth and Final Test against India at The Oval in London. The pacer missed the first four matches due to an injury but made a stunning comeback to the longest format with a brilliant performance against India.
He took five wickets as England bundled out India for 224 after opting to bowl first. Atkinson’s wickets included Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
Record-Breaking Performance
This five-wicket haul completed Atkinson’s 60 dismissals in 13 matches at an average of 21 and strike-rate of 34.9. With this, the England quick broke a 129-year-old record and became the second bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 60 wickets at a strike rate below 35.
England great George Lohmann is at the top of the list with 60 wickets at a strike rate of 34.1. He played his last Test for England in 1896. Australia pacer Scott Bolan has taken the third spot with a strike rate of 36.
Action-Packed Match
Talking about the match, India was put to field first by England and bundled out for 224. Karun Nair and Washington Sundar put up a half-century partnership for the seventh wicket, with Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue as the top bowlers for England.
In England’s first innings, Crawley and Ben Duckett put on a stand before a batting collapse triggered by Krishna and Siraj. Harry Brook did manage a half-century, but England only got dismissed for 247 runs, giving England a slim lead of 23 runs.
At the end of the day’s play, India was 75/2, with Jaiswal and night-watchman Akash Deep unbeaten and leading by 52 runs.
Stay tuned for more updates.
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