Who is Gus Atkinson? 5 things to know about England pacer selected in provisional 2023 ODI World Cup squad
Emerging pacer Gus Atkinson is about to get his first experience of international cricket after being selected for England's upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand as well as the provisional squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Atkinson has made the headlines recently courtesy of his seamless action and his searing pace in the ongoing edition of The Hundred. He has taken three wickets in each of his last three outings for the Oval Invincibles and his surge in form comes at a good time for England ahead of the white-ball season.
England will be on the lookout to mold the 25-year-old's raw talent into something fruitful and potentially a long-term addition to the pace bowling unit. However, a large fraction of the cricketing world is unaware of Atkinson. Since he could be an integral member of the England squad moving forward, here are five things to know about Gus Atkinson.
#1 He dismissed Alastair Cook on his first class debut
Alastair Cook was Gus Atkinson's first-ever red-ball wicket. The left-handed opening batter was trapped LBW by the pacer in the second innings of a County Championship game in Chelmsford in August 2020.
Additionally, Atkinson's best-ever first-class bowling figures of 6-68 includes the prized wicket of none other than former England skipper Cook. The right-arm pacer dismissed Cook for 51 in Surrey's drawn County Championship clash against Essex on May 4, 2023.
Watch the wicket at the 0:50 mark in the video right below:
Later on, Cook described what it is like to face Atkinson as a batter. He said on BBC's Test Match Special:
“What surprised me about him is that you look at him bowl and feel there is a lot more in the tank. He doesn’t look like he uses that much effort to get the ball down at a decent lick. Speaking to him, it looks easy but he is striving for as much pace as he can get. It looks like there is a bit more untapped pace.”
Atkinson claimed two wickets in the second innings, where one of the scalps was current England Test player Dan Lawrence.
#2 He clocked 95mph in The Hundred 2023
As Alastair Cook mentioned about 'untapped pace' above, Gus Atkinson seems to have found it as he has hit another gear in terms of pace. In the ongoing Hundred competition, he hit the 95mph mark, while he managed to hit 90mph in the T20 Blast earlier.
More so, Atkinson can hit those speeds consistently. His average pace in the Hundred, according to CricViz, is 143.68 kmph or 89.38 mph, which is only second to Welsh Fire and Pakistan's Haris Rauf.
#3 He has sustained three stress fractures already
Much like other speedsters in the English squad at present like Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Olly Stone, Gus Atkinson has also been victim to stress fracture injuries. The 25-year-old sustained three such injuries in 2017, 2018, and 2019, which arguably derailed his career to an extent.
England will have to handle him with caution if they intend to keep him in the squad as a long-term prospect and potentially integrate him into the red-ball setup as well in the near future.
#4 He has only played two List-A games prior to his ODI call-up
Gus Atkinson has been called up to the squad keeping the World Cup in mind and Jofra Archer's volatile fitness. However, it is to be noted that he has only played two 50-over matches to date at the domestic level, both of which came in 2021.
As of now, his List-A record comprises five wickets at an economy of 7.06. He holds best figures of 4-43, which came on his debut against Yorkshire.
He has a huge responsibility on his shoulders if he is given an opportunity considering his inexperience in the format. If he manages to bag a set of appearances at the ODI World Cup, it will prove to be his maiden international overseas outing.
#5 He bagged a contract with Surrey after impressing Alec Stewart
Gus Atkinson interestingly ended with no runs and no wickets while playing for Surrey's 3rd XI as a 17-year-old. He returned to Surrey in 2017 after impressing former England wicket-keeper Alec Stewart and signed his first contract. He said in an interview with ESPN Cricinfo:
"Mum would email… just trying to keep me in the loop as much as possible, because I wasn't ever really on the Academy. Like I would play Academy games and I would train every now and again, but I was never signed."
His mother played a crucial role in his integration into Surrey and watched him make his debut in 2020 as well. Unfortunately, she could not witness his growth as a player, after tragically passing away following a car accident.
"It's obviously difficult. My sister started a Master's a few weeks after it happened and she did that. My brother's also started at university. We've just sort of, just carried on our lives really, there's not really too much you can do apart from that.
Will Gus Atkinson prove to be England's X-Factor at the 2023 ODI World Cup? Let us know what you think.