Atkinson’s Maiden Century Puts England in Command Against Sri Lanka
On a productive day for England at the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, Gus Atkinson showcased his batting prowess by scoring a maiden first-class century. The 26-year-old all-rounder, whose batting average for Surrey in the County Championship this year has been a modest 6.71, believes he has “so much natural ability with the bat” and can excel for England moving forward.
Atkinson’s 118-run knock helped England post 427 in their first innings, though he was the least utilized of their four seamers as Sri Lanka responded with 196. Despite declining to enforce the follow-on, England reached stumps on 25/1, holding a commanding lead of 256 runs.
“I’ve been frustrated with my batting this year, but I know how good a player I can be,” said Atkinson, who scored his second first-class century after a previous effort for Surrey’s second XI in 2018. “Hopefully I can remember what I did today and yesterday and take it forward.”
The all-rounder acknowledged the challenge of transitioning from a lengthy batting stint to bowling duties, stating, “I’m not really used to batting for so long and then having to bowl. It took me a bit of time to adjust.” Nevertheless, he is determined to score as many runs as possible going forward, a skill he believes he can hone with more experience.
Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis, who top-scored with 74, remains optimistic about his team’s chances, saying, “If we can get some early wickets and get them all out for a low total, after that if we bat well in our second innings, who knows what will happen in cricket?“
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