Gus Atkinson becomes first player to take Test hat-trick in last 3 years as Stokes-led side rattles Kiwis

Gus Atkinson created cricket history during the second morning of the 2nd Test match against New Zealand in Wellington. He became the first player to take a Test hat-trick in over three years, delivering a killing spell of 4/31 that helped England rattle the host at 125 in the first innings.

NZ vs ENG: Gus Atkinson claims 1st Test hat-trick in “Bazball” era

The day started with New Zealand continuing their innings, but Atkinson quickly changed the direction. In what was a stunning display of guile and pace, he took three wickets in three consecutive balls—a feat that had not been seen in Test cricket since 2021. The last player to take a Test hat-trick was South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj when the left-arm spinner won the game against the West Indies. This achievement made Atkinson the 14th English player to accomplish a hat-trick in Test cricket.

Brydon Carse also played a crucial role, taking four wickets and supporting Atkinson’s brilliant spell. Together, they quickly dismantled the New Zealand batting lineup as England gained a superb 155-run first-innings lead. After Kane Williamson’s modest score of 37 on the first day, no other New Zealand batsman managed to reach 20 runs.

The match saw some brief resistance from Nathan Smith and Glenn Phillips, who tried to fight back with some quick runs. Smith hit a six and looked promising, but Atkinson’s sharp bowling quickly ended their hopes of a comeback.

Atkinson’s hat-trick was particularly special as it was the first one at the historic Basin Reserve cricket ground. His final three wickets came dramatically—dismissing Henry and then tricking Tim Southee with a beaming in-swinger stunned the hosts.

Test cricket hat-tricks since 2010 ft. Atkinson, Bumrah

Bowler	Teams Involved	Location	Year	Batters
Peter Siddle	AUS vs ENG	Brisbane	2010	Alastair Cook, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad	ENG vs IND	Nottingham	2011	MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar
Sohag Gazi	BAN vs NZ	Chittagong	2013	Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Doug Bracewell
Stuart Broad	ENG vs SL	Leeds	2014	Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Chandimal, Rangana Herath
Rangana Herath	SL vs AUS	Galle	2016	Adam Voges, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Starc
Moeen Ali	ENG vs SA	The Oval	2017	Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel
Jasprit Bumrah	INDvs WI	Kingston	2019	Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, Roston Chase
Naseem Shah	PAKvs BAN	Rawalpindi	2020	Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul Islam, Mahmudullah
Keshav Maharaj	SA vs WI	Gros Islet	2021	Kraigg Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva
Gus Atkinson	NZ vs ENG	Wellington	2024	Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Tim Southee