England bowler Gus Atkinson celebrates after taking a hat trick during play on day two of the second cricket test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand. (AP)
England’s Gus Atkinson became the first player to claim a Test hat-trick in three years after he ran through the New Zealand tail on Day 2 of the second Test in Wellington on Saturday.
The pacer first bowled Nathan Smith, who attempted to leave the ball. Then, he got Matt Henry caught at gully before trapping last man Tim Southee in front of the stumps. Atkinson didn’t even wait for the umpire to raise his finger before breaking into wild celebrations as he took the 15th Test hat-trick by an England bowler — and the 14th Englishman to do so; Stuart Broad as two to his name.
GUS ATKINSON HAS A TEST-MATCH HAT-TRICK 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/O2SiChHWrw
— England’s Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy) December 6, 2024
Atkinson’s hat-trick rattled the hosts, who were bundled out for 125, leaving them 155 runs behind England’s 280.
Atkinson’s hat-trick is the first in Test cricket since South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj claimed one against West Indies in 2021. It was also the first time a hat-trick was taken at the Basin Reserve.
The feat marks a remarkable first year for Atkinson in Tests. He took 12 wickets on debut against West Indies at Lord’s in July and followed it up with a century and a fifer at the same venue against Sri Lanka in August.
Atkinson is only the fourth Englishman after Broad and Moeen Ali and 19th century spinner Johnny Briggs to score a Test ton and take a hat-trick, according to the BBC.
Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, James Franklin and Sohan Gazi, too, have this double to their name.
