1st Test
Day-1 Afternoon Session Highlights:
Gus Atkinson by claiming 7 Wickets has helped England team to bowl out West Indies for 121 runs
At the Tea of Day-1:
West Indies scored 121/10, where as England scored 30/1
So, finally West Indies lead by 91 runs.
A phenomenal bowling performance from Gus Atkinson on debut fast-tracked the West Indies’ collapse in the second session of the Lord’s Test as they were bowled out for a lowly 121.
Atkinson became the seventh Englishman to pick up seven wickets in an innings on debut—his 7/45 only bettered by Dominic Cork’s 7/43 against the West Indies at the same venue back in 1995.
The visitors lost seven wickets for the addition of only 60 runs to fold cheaply, and England went into the Tea break at 30/1, with Zak Crawley batting on 24.
England’s openers started cautiously in the first three overs, with only three runs coming off them, before Zak Crawley struck two consecutive boundaries off Jayden Seales.
Ben Duckett had a lucky break as Mikyle Louis put down a simple catch at point to deny Alzarri Joseph a wicket in the fifth over.
Crawley got a boundary in the same over, just about clearing mid-on.
Seales ended the opening stand on the brink of Tea by getting Duckett to edge to the ‘keeper.
The second session started with Atkinson bowling a short ball to Kavem Hodge, who put it away for a four, signaling intent straightaway after a watchful first session in which the West Indies scored at just over two an over.
Alick Athanaze brought out the straight drives against Chris Woakes for two successive boundaries in the next over.
Although he wasn’t completely in control, Hodge also dispatched a short ball from Atkinson for a six.
While Woakes tested Athanaze a bit coming around the wicket, the left-handed batter did not have any problems against Atkinson when he drove one through covers for another four.
Atkinson, however, hit back to have Athanaze edge to first slip, ending a 44-run fourth-wicket stand, and then dismissed Jason Holder for a first-ball duck.
Joshua Da Silva ensured Atkinson did not bag a hat-trick but fell soon after, getting an inside edge to hand debutant wicketkeeper Jamie Smith his first catch.
Atkinson, in the process, became the ninth England bowler to bag a fifer on Test debut at Lord’s.
The milestones continued for the England bowlers as Pope took a sharp catch when Hodge cut one hard off Woakes, giving the bowler his 150th Test wicket.
Alzarri Joseph decided to take the attack to England, striking four fours in an over off Atkinson, much to the delight of Sir Viv Richards, who was cheering on from the stands.
The fast bowler helped the West Indies past 100 but fell looking for a big one off Atkinson, giving the pacer his sixth wicket.
Atkinson picked up his seventh by having Shamar Joseph top-edge a pull but couldn’t become the first England bowler to pick up eight wickets in an innings on debut as James Anderson wrapped up the West Indies’ innings by trapping Seales in front.
Earlier, in the first session, the debutants shone for both teams with England’s regular strikes helping them gain ascendancy.
The 23-year-old opener Mikyle Louis began confidently, striking regular boundaries along with a pick-up shot for a six off Woakes, while the experienced Kraigg Brathwaite struggled against the moving ball.
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.
Meanwhile, Atkinson made a good first impression as he accounted for the wickets of Brathwaite (inside edge onto the stumps) and Kirk McKenzie (caught at second slip) to make early inroads.
The focus was also on Ben 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.
His persistence eventually reaped rewards as Louis got a thick outside edge to third slip where Harry Brook pulled off a stunning one-handed catch.
Anderson, brought back into the attack, and Stokes bowled till the end of the first session, but Hodge and Athanaze saw through to Lunch without any damage, only for Atkinson to run through the West Indies order after the break.
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