England skipper Stokes pinpoints reason behind Atkinson’s success against Windies at Lord’s

London [UK], July 12 : England skipper Ben Stokes opened up on Gus Atkinson’s performance in his debut Test match and said that he used Lord’s slope to pick 12 wickets against West Indies in the first long-format match of the series.

Gus Atkinson was named the Player of the Match after his stupendous performance against West Indies at Lord’s.

Speaking after the match, Stokes said that England put in a clinical performance with both bat and ball in the first Test match against West Indies. He praised Atkinson for his ‘incredible start’ in the Test format.

“Really good start. To come out and put in a performance like that is clinical with bat and ball. Great start to the summer. Before the game it was exciting the see the lads get caps. Two guys who have a very high ceiling, Gus with the ball and Jamie with bat and gloves were really good. He is incredibly skillful. He used the Lord’s slope to his advantage. 12 wickets in your first game is an incredible start and exciting,” Stokes said.

Talking about James Anderson’s retirement, Stokes said that the veteran seamer inspired many people with his incredible career.

“He has been an incredible inspiration to so many people. The wicket he has taken is absolutely phenomenal. Some times you can be lost for words. If you gave me 15 minutes I might still not be able to put it in words. Desire to get better is the stand out,” he added.

Recapping the first Test match between England and West Indies, Anderson took the first wicket of the day at Lord’s sending back Joshua Da Silva to all but put an end to West Indies’ fight.

But while Anderson showcased his wares one final time, there was Gus Atkinson, on Test debut, who etched his name onto the Lord’s honours board with a ten-wicket haul – a proper handing over of the baton if ever there was one.

Earlier, England had taken a big first-innings lead with five batters crossing the half-century mark in a total of 371. Gus Atkinson’s seven-wicket haul had helped bowl West Indies out for 121 on day one of the Test match.

With a 250-run lead in the bag, England seamers fired away on day two to reduce West Indies to six wickets down by stumps. While Atkinson once again shone, Anderson set the tone with a peach that seamed back in to castle Kraigg Brathwaite as the Three Lions beat West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on Friday.

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