England pacer Gus Atkinson delivered an incredible all-round performance in his side’s series win over Sri Lanka, an achievement that included getting his name on all of Lord’s honours boards and batting with Joe Root. Atkinson’s century and five-wicket haul were key in England’s 190-run victory, securing a 2-0 series win.
England won the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka, with Gus Atkinson standing out prominently in the matches.Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. England posted a substantial 427 runs in their first innings. Joe Root smashed 143 runs off 206 balls, hitting 18 fours, while Gus Atkinson contributed a rapid 118 off 115 balls, decorated with 14 fours and four sixes.
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.”
Asitha Fernando was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka with figures of 5/102. Milan Rathnayake and Lahiru Kumara supported with two wickets each.
In response, Sri Lanka struggled in their first innings, managing only 196 runs. Despite a resilient 74 from Kamindu Mendis off 120 balls, including eight fours and three sixes, the team faltered. England shared the bowling honors with Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, and Matthew Potts each taking two wickets, while Shoaib Bashir chipped in with one. This left England with a significant lead of 231 runs.
England’s second innings saw them being more restricted, being bowled out for 251 runs. Joe Root once again led the scoring with 103 runs off 121 balls, hitting 10 fours. The next best contribution came from Harry Brook, who scored 37 runs off 36 balls.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers showed improved performance in the second innings, with Asitha Fernando taking 3/52 and Lahiru Kumara also claiming 3/53.
Chasing a daunting target of 483 runs, Sri Lanka showed some fight with half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne (55 off 129 balls), Dinesh Chandimal (58 off 62 balls), and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (50 off 71 balls). Despite these efforts, Sri Lanka was eventually bowled out for 292 runs.
Gus Atkinson led the English bowling attack with figures of 5/62, securing his third five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Olly Stone and Chris Woakes also contributed with two wickets each.
Reflecting on his remarkable performance, Gus Atkinson said, “It was special for me to get on all of Lord’s honours boards and bat with Joe Root in the first innings.”
Atkinson was rightfully named ‘Player of the Match’ for his all-round brilliance, helping England to secure the series convincingly.
England won the series 2-0 against Sri Lanka, with Gus Atkinson standing out prominently in the matches.Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. England posted a substantial 427 runs in their first innings. Joe Root smashed 143 runs off 206 balls, hitting 18 fours, while Gus Atkinson contributed a rapid 118 off 115 balls, decorated with 14 fours and four sixes.
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.”
Asitha Fernando was the most successful bowler for Sri Lanka with figures of 5/102. Milan Rathnayake and Lahiru Kumara supported with two wickets each.
In response, Sri Lanka struggled in their first innings, managing only 196 runs. Despite a resilient 74 from Kamindu Mendis off 120 balls, including eight fours and three sixes, the team faltered. England shared the bowling honors with Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson, and Matthew Potts each taking two wickets, while Shoaib Bashir chipped in with one. This left England with a significant lead of 231 runs.
England’s second innings saw them being more restricted, being bowled out for 251 runs. Joe Root once again led the scoring with 103 runs off 121 balls, hitting 10 fours. The next best contribution came from Harry Brook, who scored 37 runs off 36 balls.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers showed improved performance in the second innings, with Asitha Fernando taking 3/52 and Lahiru Kumara also claiming 3/53.
Chasing a daunting target of 483 runs, Sri Lanka showed some fight with half-centuries from Dimuth Karunaratne (55 off 129 balls), Dinesh Chandimal (58 off 62 balls), and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (50 off 71 balls). Despite these efforts, Sri Lanka was eventually bowled out for 292 runs.
Gus Atkinson led the English bowling attack with figures of 5/62, securing his third five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Olly Stone and Chris Woakes also contributed with two wickets each.
Reflecting on his remarkable performance, Gus Atkinson said, “It was special for me to get on all of Lord’s honours boards and bat with Joe Root in the first innings.”
Atkinson was rightfully named ‘Player of the Match’ for his all-round brilliance, helping England to secure the series convincingly.
