Gus Atkinson was caught unawares by his World Cup selection but England’s latest pace weapon believes The Hundred has primed him for a step-up to the international fold.
Atkinson was optimistic of being selected for four T20s against New Zealand but he can set his sights higher after his inclusion in the ODI squad, plus England’s 15-man preliminary party for the World Cup.
Jofra Archer’s troublesome elbow has all but ended his hopes of being involved in England’s 50-over title defence but Atkinson was still surprised to be given the nod and had to adopt his best poker face when taking a phone call from white-ball head coach Matthew Mott in the Oval Invincibles dressing room.
It has been at the Kia Oval-based club where Atkinson has caught the eye in recent weeks, regularly exceeding 90mph and topping out at 95mph while he also has a deceptive slower ball in his armoury, and he feels going up against some established names has set him up perfectly for England duty.
He told the PA news agency: “I wasn’t really expecting to be picked for the World Cup. I’d heard rumours for the New Zealand T20s but to be picked for the ODIs and the World Cup was pretty cool.
“I’m just overjoyed. It was tough to try and keep it a secret from people at first as I was at the Oval getting ready with the Invincibles when I found out so trying not to smile was very hard.
“But I spoke to my family who are obviously very happy and very proud. This summer been very good and it’s all happened pretty quickly. It’s been my first experience of The Hundred and it’s been very, very good.
“There’s top world-class batters in every team and bowling against them has helped. I’ve been performing well against international players in The Hundred, so there’s no reason why I can’t do that on the international stage.”
Atkinson was able to make an impression last week on England captain Jos Buttler, who landed a couple of blows on the quick for the Manchester Originals but was beaten all ends up by a 94mph free hit.
While he is unsure he can up his speeds – “I’m not sure about that,” he said with a laugh – Atkinson has enjoyed the exposure he has received with all matches in The Hundred televised.
He said: “Every game so far, my beans have been going. It’s the first time I’d played against Jos, you have it in your head what a world-class player he is.
“I wasn’t really thinking about the bigger picture when I was bowling at him but I was just trying to do my job – hit the pitch hard and try to bowl quick.”
Atkinson has always had that trait of natural pace but his development was stymied by three stress fractures in his back, which had the knock-on consequence of leaving him with internal doubts.
Trusting his body again was as complicated as recovering from those injuries but Atkinson is now at full-throttle and grateful his attributes have seen him fast-tracked into the England set-up.
He said: “This year, playing all the T20 games for Surrey in the (Vitality) Blast, it was nice to be backed and to know I was going to play. That’s helped a lot.
“My skills and ability have always been there, I’ve always had pace in me, but I’ve felt like I’m a few years behind with my career in terms of those injuries.
“To be selected by England without having to go through three or four years of graft is nice.”
Atkinson has just two List A matches under his belt and has never before been to India, where England will attempt to retain their world title in October and November.
But the 25-year-old, who intends to seek out advice from Surrey team-mate and good friend Reece Topley, is confident he has a formula to thrive in any conditions, irrespective of the format.
He said: “When I switch from four-day cricket to T20 cricket, I don’t change too much. I just try to focus on bowling my best ball and keep it as simple as possible, so I’ll do that when it comes to 50-over cricket.”
West Indies Academy secures first win of the season with 22-run DLS method victory over CCC
The West Indies Academy recorded their first win of the 2024 CG United Super50 Cup season with a 22-run DLS method win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground in St. Augustine on Monday.
CCC, who were also seeking their first win of the season, were first dismissed for 174 in 39.5 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Experienced opener Kieran Powell top scored with 46 off 42 balls including eight fours while Shaqkere Parris made 40 and Johann Jeremiah hit 33.
Jediah Blades continued his good form with the ball this season with 3-23 from six overs and was well supported by Zishan Motara who took 3-31 from his 10 overs.
Joshua Bishop also bowled well with 2-25 from 6.5 overs.
In reply, the Academy were 167-7 off 40.5 overs, 22 runs ahead of the DLS par score when the rain brought an end to proceedings.
Andrew Rambaran and Johann Layne put together a crucial eighth wicket partnership, helping the Academy recover from 118-7 in the 29th over.
Rambaran finished 37* while Layne finished 25* off 28 balls including two fours and two sixes.
Earlier, Rivaldo Clarke top scored with 38. Romario Greaves was excellent with the ball for the CCC with 5-45 from his 10 overs while the other two wickets were split between Akeem Jordan and Abhijai Mansingh.
Full Scores:
Combined Campuses and Colleges 174 off 39.5 overs (Kieran Powell 46, Shaqkere Parris 40, Johann Jeremiah 33, Jediah Blades 3-23, Zishan Motara 3-31, Joshua Bishop 2-25)
West Indies Academy 167-7 off 40.5 overs (Rivaldo Clarke 38, Andrew Rambaran 37*, Johann Layne 25*, Romario Greaves 5-45).
Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss
Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.
Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.
England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.
The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.
"Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.
"I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.
"It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.
"We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."
Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.
Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.
"International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.
"Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.
"These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."
Molineux stars with 64 as Melbourne Renegades Women win second match in a row
Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin’s Melbourne Renegades Women got their second win in a row in the Women’s Big Bash League thanks to a brilliant batting display from captain Sophie Molineux against Adelaide Strikers Women at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Sunday.
The Renegades, chasing 158 for victory, found themselves 52-5 in the ninth over when Molineux came to the crease to join Dottin.
The pair put on a crucial 79 runs before Dottin fell for 20. Seven runs later, Molineux fell for a match-winning 32-ball 64 including nine fours and three sixes.
Eventually needing six runs off the final over, Nicole Faltum and Sarah Coyte guided the Renegades to victory.
Darcie Brown, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Jemma Barsby took two wickets, each, for the Strikers in their efforts to defend what looked like a match-winning total.
Earlier, captain Talia McGrath led the way with 64 off 44 balls including eight fours and a six while Orla Prendergast supported well with 31 as the Strikers made 157-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.
Molineux took 2-39 from her four overs while Georgia Wareham and Alice Capsey split two wickets. Matthews and Dottin when wicketless in seven overs between them.
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