3 fast bowlers who scored a Test hundred at Lord’s post 2000 ft. Gus Atkinson
On Friday (August 30), Gus Atkinson joined an exclusive list of players to reach all three Honours Boards at Lord’s. The boards are a reminder of a player registering a Test hundred, five-wicket haul in an innings or 10 wickets in a match at the iconic ground.
Interestingly, Atkinson began his Test career last month with figures of 7-45 and 5-61 against West Indies at the same venue. He hit 118 off 115 in the ongoing game against Sri Lanka to etch his name into the history books. With that, he's now the sixth player to get on both Honours boards at Lord's.
Since 2000, there have been notable players who have put their names on the honours board with impressive performances with bat or ball. Let's look at the fast bowlers to register a Test hundred at Lord's this century.
#1 Ajit Agarkar
The former Indian right-arm pacer and current chief national selector, Ajit Agarkar is one of the few fast bowlers to slam a Test century at the iconic venue. Agarkar achieved the feat in July 2022 in the first game of the four-match Test series against England.
The hosts batted first and posted a strong total of 487, with skipper Nasser Hussain hitting 155. Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble scalped three wickets for the visitors.
In response, Virender Sehwag (84) and Rahul Dravid (46) responded for the visitors, but except for VVS Laxman (43), the others couldn't chip in as the Indian team were dismissed for 221.
Thereafter, Michael Vaughan and John Crawley hit hundreds, as England declared on 301-6. Chasing an improbable 568 for victory, Wasim Jaffer (53) and Sehwag (27) provided a fine start to the visitors. Dravid (63) continued his impressive form but couldn't reach the three-figure mark.
Agarkar came at No. 8 and stitched together a 126-run stand with Laxman (74) to keep his team in the hunt. After Laxman's departure, Agarkar went on to play a valiant knock of 109* off 190 as India were bundled out for 397. Matthew Hoggard picked up four wickets for the English.
#2 Stuart Broad
In August 2010, England's Stuart Broad hit his first and only century against Pakistan at Lord's.
The Andrew Strauss-led side were invited to bat first by the visitors. The decision initially went in Pakistan's favour, as England were struggling at 47-5. However, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior (22) stitched a key 55-run stand.
Coming at No. 9, Broad supported Trott well to steer the team forward. They found peace in their partnership and added a sensational 332-run stand before Broad was dismissed for 169 off 297. Trott was the last one to perish for 184 off 383 as England put 446. Mohammad Amir picked six wickets for Pakistan.
England then bundled out the visitors for 74 & 147 to win by an innings and 225 runs. Graeme Swann went on to pick up nine wickets in the game.
#3 Gus Atkinson
The latest addition to this list is Gus Atkinson, who has had a fabulous 2024. After picking up the Player of the Match award in his debut Test in July, he also won the ICC Player of the Month award. The 26-year-old also did well by picking up four wickets and contributing 20 in the first Test against Sri Lanka.
However, Atkinson showed what he's capable of with the bat in the second Test at Lord's. Batting first, the home team got a stable platform, with Joe Root hitting 143. The right-arm pacer arrived at the crease at No. 8, with England at 216-6.
Atkinson displayed his batting talent, patience and grit as he stitched crucial partnerships with Matthew Potts (21) and Olly Stone (15) to help England post 427. His 115-ball 118-run knock comprised 14 fours and four sixes.