New Delhi: England pacer Gus Atkinson scripted history by becoming the first bowler in the world to take a Test hat-trick in Wellington. Atkinson achieved the feat during the ongoing 2nd Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. He dismissed Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Tim Southee during the hosts’ first innings to complete his maiden hat-trick in the longest format.
Atkinson bagged his hat-trick during the 35th over of New Zealand’s first innings. He cleaned up Smith on 14 with a ripper before Henry was dismissed on a duck after being caught by Ben Duckett. Atkinson then went on to trap Southee lbw to make it three wickets in a row. His hat-trick helped England bundle out the Kiwis on a paltry 125 runs in their 2nd innings.
While he scripted history by becoming the first bowler in the world to take a Test hat-trick in Wellington, Atkinson also became the 15th English bowler to take a hat-trick in men’s Tests. He became the first England bowler to take three successive wickets in Tests in the last seven years since Moeen Ali achieved the feat against South Africa in 2017.
Hattrick from Gus Atkinson
Greet feel for Gas Atkinson
-It was worth it as I got to see a Hat-trick live in international cricket after so long 🏏
Gus Atkinson will be a dangerous bowler to face when India tours England next year 💀#NZvENG
— Dilkesh (@one_handed17) December 6, 2024
Overall, Atkinson became the 47th bowler to pick up a hat-trick in Test cricket, joining an elite list of bowlers featuring the likes of Shane Warne, Wasim Akram, Stuart Broad and Jasprit Bumrah among others. Atkinson has enjoyed a stellar 2024 in Test cricket as he picked up a 10-wicket haul and smashed a century at Lord’s earlier this year.
England on top in 2nd Test
Having won the first Test comprehensively, England are leading the three-match Test series against New Zealand 1-0 and are currently on top in the 2nd Test in Wellington, aiming to make it two wins in a row. Courtesy of his hat-trick, Atkinson finished with excellent figures of 4/31 off his 8.5 overs while Brydon Carse too picked up a 4-wicket haul as Kiwis were bowled out for 125, in response to England’s first-innings total of 315 runs.
England produced another stupendous batting performance in their 2nd innings to remain on top of the Test match. Opener Ben Duckett (92) and Jacob Bethell (96) notched up half-centuries apiece and shared a 187-run stand for the 2nd wicket while Joe Root and Harry Brook too completed their fifties to extend England’s lead to over 450 runs.
England pacer Gus Atkinson created history as he became the first bowler in the world to achieve a rare feat after bagging a brilliant hat-trick in the 2nd Test against New Zealand. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
