Gus Atkinson is a man of few words, but in his first year as a Test cricketer the deeds have pretty much spoken for themselves. Even capping off what has been a sparkling 2024 with a hat-trick was met with a shrug, albeit there was a hint of the drive that underpins his cricket with an insistence he is “greedy” for more.
Speaking at the end of day two in Wellington, England having closed with an imposing lead of 533 and a series win over New Zealand in sight, Atkinson said he had been confident the early wickets of Nathan Smith and Matt Henry would be followed by a third in three balls. The plan, with the field spread for a bouncer, was to send down a yorker. Though his length was missed, Tim Southee’s front pad was very much not.
