Gus Atkinson Delivers Third-Best England Debut Figures In Test Against West Indies

Gus Atkinson made a remarkable debut on Friday, July 12, by securing the third-best Test figures for an England player. This achievement occurred during day 3 of the first Test against West Indies at Lord's in London.

In James Anderson's farewell Test, Atkinson stole the spotlight with match figures of 12 for 105. He took 7 for 45 in the first innings and followed it up with 5 for 61 in the second innings.

Atkinson's performance places him behind John Ferris and Frederick Martin, who achieved their best figures in the 1890s. Here are the top five best Test debut bowling figures for England:

• John Ferris - 13 for 91 vs South Africa in 1892 (Cape Town)
• Frederick Martin - 12 for 102 vs Australia in 1890 (The Oval, London)
• Gus Atkinson - 12 for 100 vs West Indies in 2024 (Lord's, London)
• Charles Marriott - 11 for 96 vs West Indies in 1933 (The Oval, London)
• Alec Bedser - 11 for 145 vs India in 1946 (Lord's, London)

Atkinson gave England an early breakthrough by dismissing West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite. Brathwaite played onto his stumps during Atkinson's first spell.

The debutant returned after lunch on day one and ended a stubborn partnership by removing Allick Athanaze. In the same over, he dismissed Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva.

Later, Atkinson took out Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph in quick succession. Anderson, Chris Woakes, and Stokes each claimed a wicket to bowl out West Indies for just 121 runs.

Players to claim two Five-Wicket Hauls in Test Debut

With his figures of 12 for 100, Atkinson joined an elite group of players who have taken two five-wicket hauls on their Test debut. He became the twelfth player to achieve this feat:

• Frederick Martin (England) vs Australia at The Oval, London in 1890
• Tom Richardson (England) vs Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1893
• Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) vs England at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney in 1925
• Charles Marriott (England) at The Oval, London in 1933
• Ken Farnes (England) vs Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in 1934
• Hines Johnson (West Indies) vs England at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica in 1948
• Sydney Burke (South Africa) vs New Zealand at Newlands, Cape Town in 1962
• Bob Massie (Australia) vs England at Lord's, London in 1972
• Narendra Hirwani (India) vs West Indies at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai in 1988
• Praveen Jayawickrama (Sri Lanka) vs Bangladesh at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy in 2021
• Prabath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) vs Australia at Galle International Stadium, Galle in 2022
• Gus Atkinson (England) vs West Indies at Lord's, London in 2024

The second innings saw Atkinson take some time before starting his wicket-taking spree again. He cleaned up Kavem Hodge and dismissed Holder once more.

The young bowler tried to save the final wicket for Anderson but ended up taking it himself. Jayden Seales was caught at deep mid-wicket to end the match as England won by an innings and 114 runs.

This outstanding performance has placed Gus Atkinson among cricketing legends with his impressive debut figures.