- Atkinson added a Test hat-trick to his list of accolades at international level
- He has settled well into side and became the 14th England player to achieve feat
- England were already on top going into the second day of the second Test
Gus Atkinson took England’s first Test match hat-trick for seven years as he skittled New Zealand’s tail on day two in Wellington.
The Surrey seamer had enjoyed an impressive start to life in England whites, already picking up a five-fer, 10-fer and a century in his nine matches going into the ongoing second Test.
But things got even better in the morning session of day two, as he took to the field bowling in tandem with Brydon Carse in what looks to finally be a settled leading seam partnership for Ben Stokes’ side.
New Zealand, who look all at sea and a side a million miles away from the one that won in India just a matter of weeks ago, were five wickets down going into the second day after England posted 280 with the bat.
They would have hoped to put up more of a fight than they have done so far this series, but Tom Blundell and William O’Rourke were both dismissed off the bowling of Carse early on.
And then it was the Atkinson show. He took the wickets of first Nathan Smith, then Matt Henry and finally Tim Southee to claim yet another historical feat in an England shirt.
Gus Atkinson has become the first England player to take a Test match hat-trick in seven years
The seamer skittled New Zealand’s tail to achieve the feat and add to his ever-growing list of international achievements
He was mobbed by his team-mates after picking up the final wicket of Tim Southee
New Zealand were 86 for five over night, under pressure to get near England’s 280 after Carse, Atkinson, Stokes and Chris Woakes had all been in the wickets.
But Carse did more damage early and Atkinson first bowled wicketkeeper Blundell before skittling Smith the very next ball.
With his team-mates around the bat and the crowd behind him, the 26-year-old from Chelsea then had Southee lbw before being mobbed by his team-mates.
England boast the most Test hat-tricks of any team in the game, picking up 15 in total from 14 different players.
Atkinson was the first for England since Moeen Ali’s against South Africa in July 2017, and the first of any player since Keshav Maharaj’s for South Africa against the West Indies in 2021.
Other England players to have achieved the feat are Stuart Broad in both and 2011 and 2014 – the only player for the side to have achieved the feat twice – Ryan Sidebottom and Matthew Hoggard.
