1st Test
Day-1 Morning Session Highlights:
Atkinson’s brace has propelled England to an advantageous position on the opening morning at Lord’s

At the Lunch of Day-1:
West Indies scored 61/3 vs England.
In James Anderson’s farewell Test, debutants from either side shone in the first session of the opening game, with England’s regular strikes helping them gain the early advantage over the West Indies.
The visitors went into Lunch on Wednesday (July 10) at 61/3.
This Test match bridged generations, featuring the 41-year-old Anderson in his final game and three debutants:
23-year-old wicketkeeper Jamie Smith and 26-year-old pacer Gus Atkinson for England, and 23-year-old Mikyle Louis partnering Kraigg Brathwaite at the top for the visiting side.
Ben Stokes decided to bowl in overcast conditions at Lord’s, with both elevens announced a day earlier.
The fearlessness of the new generation was on display straightaway.
Despite edging a full delivery from Anderson for a four in the opening over, Louis did not hold back, driving past mid-off when the veteran pacer went full again.
Woakes opened the attack with Anderson, both operating on a good length and getting movement in the air and off the pitch.
Brathwaite was squared up on multiple occasions and struggled to get going.
On the other hand, Louis exuded confidence as he cut away a short delivery from Woakes before executing a pick-up shot over the deep square leg fence off Woakes for the first six of the match.
Despite his probing lines, Anderson couldn’t pick up a wicket in his first spell, in which he bowled five overs for 11 runs, including two maidens.
Another debutant who made a good first impression was Atkinson, introduced into the attack in the 11th over.
He kept it full to Brathwaite and had him inside-edging the ball onto the stumps.
Woakes thought he had Louis caught behind and umpire Nitin Menon agreed, only to reverse the decision moments later as the batter made successful use of the DRS.
It started to drizzle when Atkinson bagged his second by having Kirk McKenzie caught at second slip.
Atkinson also found the outside edge of Alick Athanaze’s bat, but soft hands from the batter meant the ball landed short of the slip cordon.
The focus was also on Stokes and his fitness, with the England captain having decided to skip the IPL and the T20 World Cup to get back to optimum shape.
He brought himself on at the start of the 14th over and bowled until the close of the first session, delivering eight overs in his first spell.
He was moving the ball both ways and mixing his lengths to keep the batters guessing.
He even found the inside edge of Louis’s bat, and fortunately for the batter, the ball missed the stumps and went to the fence.
Stokes’s persistence eventually reaped rewards as Louis got a thick outside edge to third slip where Harry Brook pulled off a stunning one-handed catch.
Kavem Hodge struck a four off Stokes square on the off side to help the West Indies reach 50 in the 24th over.
Anderson bowled four overs from the other end, finding more swing in his second spell.
The rare occasion that Anderson erred with his length was when Hodge struck his second boundary, playing a cut shot, as he and Athanaze saw the West Indies through to Lunch without any further damage.
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