"It's like watching someone like Jacques Kallis play" - Joe Root hails Gus Atkinson for brilliant knock on Day 1 of ENG vs SL 2nd Test 2024
England star Joe Root hailed pacer Gus Atkinson for his sensational knock of 74* on Day 1 of the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's on August 29. Playing in only his fifth Test, Atkinson joined Root with England 216/6 on a challenging batting track.
However, the 26-year-old smashed his maiden Test half-century, reaching the milestone off only 61 deliveries. Atkinson eventually finished Day 1 on 74* to help England reach a dominant 358/7 in 88 overs.
In a video uploaded by the ECB after stumps on the opening day, Root compared Atkinson's batting to South African legend Jacques Kallis by saying:
"Yeah, it was good, it was nice. I'll tell you why I was good watching Gussy bat at the end, being at the other end when he hit those straight sixes, they were unbelievable. It's like watching someone like Jacques Kallis play. It was a great little innings from him, and there was some good partnerships along the way and we’ve found ourselves in a really good position now."
Joe Root himself enjoyed a day of milestones as he brought up his 33rd century with a magnificent 143 off 206 balls. Despite being in control for most of his innings, the 33-year-old was on 99 for 12 deliveries before finally reaching the landmark.
“I’m not going to lie, yeah, it was a little bit. You just want to get it, get over the line and get it done. So it was nice to get there but nice to be able to park it and concentrate on what was important, driving the game and getting us into a real position of strength by the end of the day," said Root.
With his 33rd century, Root leveled former captain Alastair Cook for most Test centuries by an England batter.
Gus Atkinson reaches his maiden Test century on Day 2
Gus Atkinson continued on his merry way and wasted no time recording his maiden Test century in the first session on Day 2 of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
The pacer made his way onto the Lord's Honors Board on his Test debut against the West Indies last month with figures of 7/45. Four Tests later, it was the turn for his batting display to enter the Lord's Honors Board as he reached his century off only 103 deliveries.
Despite being a capable bat, Atkinson had never scored a century in first-class or List- A games. The Middlesex cricketer has made an incredible start to his Test career, picking up 26 wickets in four Tests at an average of 19 with two five-wicket hauls.
Atkinson is still going strong, batting on 110* with the England score going past 400 at 412/8 in 99 overs.