Gus Atkinson made his brilliant Test debut in James Anderson’s final international match at Lord’s in what could have been a passing of the torch occasion.
In his maiden Test match, Atkinson made a great impact by taking 12 wickets, including a five-for in every innings. With amazing figures of 7/45 in the opening innings, the 26-year-old dismissed the West Indies batting order for a meagre 121.
England won the innings by 114 runs thanks to his second five-wicket haul (5/61) after his first-inning heroics.
He was the clear favorite to win Player of the Match for a total of 12 wickets.Over the course of the final two Tests, Atkinson took ten more wickets, maintaining his strong form. This included taking four wickets in the first Test match in Birmingham during the first innings. In the second Test in Nottingham, he scored an undefeated twenty-one, and in the last match, he added another twenty-one.
Atkinson took home the Player of the Series trophy after finishing with 22 wickets as the series’ highest wicket-taker.