It was one of those situations that most spectators and anyone overly empathetic simply and comprehensively misunderstand. Gus Atkinson ended day one unbeaten on 74 and having looked phenomenal with the bat in dragging England, with the notable assistance of Joe Root, from 216 for six to an overnight score of 358 for seven. A first first-class century felt within his grasp, but first he had almost 15 hours of downtime to deal with.
It was impossible not to imagine a fretful evening, a night of interrupted, restless sleep, a tight fist of tension settling in his gut through the morning, swelling and clenching and twisting sadistically, and, after all that, it being something of a triumph simply to haul his body to the crease, prospects ruined by the moment’s ripe potential and by being forced to spend so long pondering it.
