Atkinson was an outstanding player for Surrey in the Championship and T20 Blast, and for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred Credit: getty images/Ben Hoskins
Gus Atkinson is in line to receive his first call-up to England for the New Zealand Series later this month, and the fast 90 mph bowler is recognized as a special talent.
Atkinson had a great season for Surrey in both the County Championship and the Twenty20 Blast, while his performances in the Oval Invincibles in the 100 were especially compelling. He hit the two fastest pitches of the tournament, 94 mph and 95 mph, both at the Jos Battler at the Oval on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old's action, fast pace, and dangerous bouncer after a modest run has led to comparisons with Jofra Archer. He is also a powerful low level batsman.
What a day for Gus Atkinson
Surrey finishes quickly with a career-best record 6/68 #LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/UGzFCTwr5u
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) May 4, 2023
Although he never played for the second-place English Lions in the national team, Atkinson's pace brought him to the attention of the England team for several years. His development was halted by a series of stress fractures early in his career, but he broke into the Surrey side in the summer of 2020.
With Archer eliminated from the series against New Zealand, this is a great opportunity to see Atkinson in international play. England will play four Twenty20s against New Zealand starting on 30 August. These matches have relatively low priority, focusing on one-day international matches in preparation for the World Cup in India. The qualifiers will meet to determine their squad for next week's New Zealand Championship.
A strong performance against New Zealand would give Atkinson a chance to win World Cup qualifiers. As first reported by Telegraph Sport, there is optimism that Archer could be selected for the tournament and England could take Archer even if he failed to play in several of their nine group matches. England can choose up to six bowlers for their team of 15.
Along with Archer, Chris Woeks, Sam Curran and Mark Wood, everyone is for sure if they fit perfectly. With at least one, and possibly two, other slots, Atkinson, fellow speed bowler Ollie Stone, Rhys Topley, David Wyllie and Brydon Karse are among those vying for the World Championship qualifier. All teams are also allowed to bring three traveling reservists with them to India, which can create additional space for a seamstress.
The tournament starts on October 5th. Council until September 5, but teams can make changes to their composition until September 27.
This year Atkinson played for the Desert Vipers in the International T20 League and was also signed to the Pakistan Super League. He also had an impressive year in first-class cricket, scoring 20 wickets for just 20.2 for Division One-leading Surrey in the County Championship. Atkinson has also made useful contributions down the ranks and is currently averaging 28.1 bats over his first-class career.
Interview with Gus Atkinson: «I'm being compared to Joffra Archer and I want to play for England this year «. '
Tim Wigmore
Atkinson is also a low level utility batsman. It doesn't look like I'm trying,» laughs Gus Atkinson. That's not the kind of accusation often made against a fast 90 mph bowler.
The illusion of lightness is created by Atkinson's languid, fluid actions: «The first half of my run is buildup,» he said. speaks.
His soft-spoken manner is as unassuming as his light jog through the crease, which initially suggests a moderate pace. But as he approaches the stumps, Atkinson's stride lengthens; then he turns the pitches around at a fast pace.
So far in this year's 100, only one bowler — Haris Rauf of Pakistan — is averaging faster than Atkinson, who averages over 87 mph per inning for the Oval Invincibles. .
Yet, even more than his pace, the excitement around Atkinson lies in how he uses him: his bouncer, clumsily following batsmen, is especially effective.
«People say it's faster than my standard ball,» reflects. “That's what I've always had: a fast bouncer, he takes people by surprise. I'm trying to put them in an uncomfortable position.»
Atkinson's deceptive pace has already drawn comparisons to Jofra Archer.
«That's good to hear,» smiles Atkinson. “People say I don't look like I'm aiming for as much speed as possible. And I know people have said the same thing about Jofr. So that's probably where people come from — to make the game look easy and natural.
While Archer won't be seen in England's T20 series against New Zealand starting on August 30, Atkinson is a strong contender. show. Even if that's not the case, December's West Indies tour will be another prime time for him to make his international debut.
«Any choice for England would be amazing,» says Atkinson. “Obviously you hear it and think about it a little. But I don't think about it too much. I'm just trying to focus on the next game.
“I would like to play next year. But there is no specific goal that I want to play in this particular game or something like that. I just would like to play next year or so. If it's a little longer, then so be it.»
Atkinson's development was delayed due to stress fractures in his back. Photo: GETY IMAGES/Ben Hoskins. «Run, throw as fast as you can, see what happens»
For Atkinson, a Wandsworth boy who grew up playing Spencer — Alex Tudor's cricket alma mater — waiting is nothing new. Two of his contemporaries from the Surrey cohort, born in 1998, Sam Curran and Ollie Pope, have been international cricketers for five years now. When they debuted in England, Atkinson was still two years away from his professional debut. It happened in 2020 at the age of 22 after Atkinson finally got rid of the eternal enemy of fast bowlers — a stress fracture.
On the way back, Atkinson «probably played a bit of himself.» In 2021, Atkinson had a training session with Vikram Solanki, then head coach of Surrey, at the Second Team Stadium in New Malden. «He said, 'Run, throw as fast as you can, see what happens.' I think it's always been in me. It was just confidence in my bowling. A few days later we had T20 against Somerset and I hit the first over. I just ran in hard, tried to hit the ball fast. In fact, it just disappeared.”
Atkinson has a simple and concise approach. With his 6ft 2in physique, he settles down bowling in a swinging seam, delivering back length, preventing batsmen from hitting his front leg, but spearing the ball at chest level, making him uncomfortable to snag or pull.< /p>
And so while Atkinson is developing options (he has three slower balls, including one that Jos Buttler missed on Wednesday's reverse ramp attempt, a dangerous yorker, and is also working on a new swing), he's mainly focused on what he does best. . Indeed, as Atkinson became more focused on adjusting his plans based on who he occasionally bowled with during T20 Blast this season, Atkinson found it was less effective.
“I reacted to what they did. instead of using your best skills to quickly hit the wicket and bowl,” he explains. «I went through it with the analysts — as the statistics show, my best ball is my most efficient ball.»
When he hit the ball shorter than eight meters in front of the stumps in this season's 100 (at the back or shorter), Atkinson scored five wickets, averaging six each.
This method is easily translated between formats. While Surrey's workload management and abundance of talent limited Atkinson to 14 first-class games, he had a fine year in the County Championship, taking 20 wickets for just 20.2. Throw in some low-level belligerent strikes — he's averaged 28.1 bats in his first-class career — and he's a player capable of excelling in all three formats.
In terms of cricket, Atkinson is 25 years old. , he started playing cricket «quite early». “I'm 25 and I haven't really played cricket that much. I still think I have a lot to learn.”
Atkinson's hype has more to do with the pace and animosity he's already shown this year. It is also because of the feeling that everything is still ahead. Atkinson believes that with some modifications, including the support of the front foot, he can become even faster. “I might have more pace. But we'll see.»
England maybe soon.
This bent front leg is one of the main differences between Atkinson … Photo: GETTY IMAGES/Steve Bardens 
…and Jofray Archer Photo: Shuttershock/Anthony Devlin
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