ENG vs WI: Gus Atkinson Produces Third Best Test Figures For England Player on Debut

Gus Atkinson on Friday (July 12) joined an elite list as the pacer produced the third best Test figures for an England player on debut during day 3 of the 1st Test against West Indies at Lord's in London.

In veteran James Anderson farewell Test, debutant Atkinson made the headlines with figures of 12 for 105 in the match after he followed his first innings spell of 7 for 45 with 5 for 61 in the second innings.

In the first innings, Atkinson gave England the breakthrough, removing West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, who played one on to the stumps to be bowled in debutant's first spell in Test cricket.

On his return for another spell after lunch on day 1, the 26-year-old ended a stubborn stand with the dismissal of Allick Athanaze before removing Jason Holder and Joshua Da Silva in the very same over.

He later dismissed Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph in the same over as Anderson, Chris Woakes and Stokes claimed a wicket each to bundle out West Indies for 121 All Out.

In the second innings, Atkinson took a little while to get started as he started his wicket-taking spree by cleaning up Kavem Hodge and also removed Holder for the second time in the Test.

Although he tried saving the final wicket for Anderson after removing the two Josephs, the youngster ended up with a fifer as Jayden Seales was caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary to end the match as England won by an innings and 114 runs.

With that, Atkinson registered the third best bowling figures for England in Tests, finishing behind the John Ferris and Frederick Martin, who had claimed their best figures in the 1890s. Here is a look at the top 5 best Test debut bowling figures for England:

Best Bowling Figures For England on Test Debut

John Ferris - 13 for 91 vs South Africa in 1892 (Cape Town)
Frederick Martin - 12 for 102 vs Australia in 1890 (The Oval, London)
Gus Atkinson - 12 for 100 vs West Indies in 2024 (Lord's, London)
Charles Marriott - 11 for 96 vs West Indies in 1933 (The Oval, London)
Alec Bedser - 11 for 145 vs India in 1946 (Lord's, London)

With his figures of 12 for 100, Atkinson also joined some elite company as a debutant to claim two five wicket hauls in their first-ever Test match. Atkison became the 12th player to achieve this unique feat. Here is a look at the full list:

Players to claim two Five-Wicket Hauls in Test Debut

Frederick Martin (England) vs Australia at The Oval, London in 1890
Tom Richardson (England) vs Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1893
Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) vs England at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney in 1925
Charles Marriott (England) at The Oval, London in 1933
Ken Farnes (England) vs Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in 1934
Hines Johnson (West Indies ) vs England at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica in 1948
Sydney Burke (South Africa) vs New Zealand at Newlands, Cape Town in 1962
Bob Massie (Australia) vs England at Lord's, London in 1972
Narendra Hirwani (India) vs West Indies at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai in 1988
Praveen Jayawickrama (Sri Lanka) vs Bangladesh at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy in 2021
Prabath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) vs Australia at Galle International Stadium, Galle in 2022
Gus Atkinson (England) vs West Indies at Lord's, London in 2024