Following his side’s series win over Sri Lanka, England pacer Gus Atkinson said that it was special for him to get on all of Lord’s honours boards and bat with Joe Root in the first innings. Atkinson continued his rise in international cricket, getting a fine match-winning century and a five-wicket haul to accomplish a rare double at the iconic venue. This also helped England secure a 190 run win over Sri Lanka and win the three-match series 2-0.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Atkinson said, “I could not have asked for much more. To get on both honour’s boards, it is incredible. It will take a while to sink in. (On Joe Root) He has been excellent this week. Batting alongside him for so long in the first innings was very special. First red-ball games at Lord’s and it is gone pretty well, I enjoy bowling with the slope, it is just gone my way, and long may it continue. I will do what they say (when asked if he would be okay to bowl from the Nursery End). The way we go about the game, we just like to attack. And as a bowler, it is great to be able to attack and not worry about runs too much. Physically, it is quite demanding running over after over, but I have enjoyed it so much, looking forward to it going forward.”

Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to field first. England scored 427 runs in the first innings, with Root (143 in 206 balls, with 18 fours) and Gus Atkinson (118 in 115 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes) slamming centuries to take England to a massive score.

Asitha Fernando (5/102) was the top bowler for Sri Lanka. Milan Rathnayake and Lahiru Kumara took two wickets each.

In their first innings, despite Kamindu Mendis’s fighting 74 runs in 120 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, Sri Lanka could manage just 196 runs as the top-order let the team down again. Chris Woakes, Olly Stones, Gus Atkinson, and Matthew Potts got two wickets each, while Shoaib Bashir got one. England led by 231 runs.

Sri Lanka showcased much better control with the ball in England’s second inning, bundling them out for 251 runs. After Root’s 103 in 121 balls, with 10 fours, the second biggest contribution was delivered by Harry Brook (37 in 36 balls, with four boundaries and a six).

Asitha Fernando (3/52) and Lahiru Kumara (3/53) were the top wickettakers for Sri Lanka.

In the run-chase of 483, Sri Lanka put up a fight as three half-centuries came from Dimuth Karunaratne (55 in 129 balls, with seven fours), Dinesh Chandimal (58 in 62 balls, with 11 fours) and skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (50 in 71 balls, with seven fours). But despite that, Lanka was bundled out for 292 runs and lost by 190 runs.

Atkinson (5/62) was the pick of the bowlers for England, picking his third five-wicket haul at the Lord’s. Olly Stone and Chris Woakes also got two wickets.

Atkinson secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his all-round performance.

Gus Atkinson scored a dashing maiden century before England strengthened their grip on the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Friday. Atkinson’s sparkling 118 helped take England to 427 all out in their first innings after Joe Root had made a masterful 143 on Thursday to equal the England record of 33 Test hundreds held by Alastair Cook. Sri Lanka then collapsed to 87-6 on the second day. But Kamindu Mendis, fresh from a fine 113 in Sri Lanka’s five-wicket loss in the first Test at Old Trafford, made an admirable 74 to prevent complete humiliation before he was last man out in a total of 196.

All of England’s pace attack took two wickets each, Matthew Potts returning figures of 2-19 in 11 overs and Chris Woakes 2-21 in 13.

Sri Lanka were 231 runs behind but stand-in England captain Ollie Pope did not enforce the follow-on, with the hosts 25-1 in their second innings at stumps — an overall lead of 256 as they looked to go 2-0 up in a three-match series.

Ben Duckett was 15 not out with Pope, having managed just three single figure scores since replacing the injured Ben Stokes as skipper, two not out after deciding against shielding himself from the new ball with a nightwatchman.

But the day belonged to Atkinson as he cemented his love affair with Lord’s. 

The 26-year-old, whose previous highest first-class score was 91 for Surrey against a Sri Lanka Development XI in 2022, only made his Test debut against the West Indies, also at Lord’s, last month.

Atkinson marked that occasion with 12 wickets (7-45 and 5-61) to etch his name on the famed Lord’s dressing room honours boards reserved for bowlers who take five or more wickets in a Test innings and 10 or more in a match. 

Few would have backed Atkinson to get on the equivalent honours board recognising those who score Test hundreds at the ‘Home of Cricket’ — a feat that proved beyond such star batsmen as India’s Sachin Tendulkar, West Indies’ Brian Lara and Australia’s Ricky Ponting.

Atkinson was 74 not out overnight in a Thursday stumps total of 358-7.

No 8 Atkinson carried on from where he left off, hitting two fours off Friday’s first two balls, as he leg-glanced and cover-drove paceman Lahiru Kumara leg-glanced for a pair of textbook boundaries.

But to the third he was given out lbw, only for Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision to be reversed by a review indicating the ball would have missed leg stump.

Atkinson went to his century in storybook fashion, driving Kumara down the ground into the pavilion for another four — his 11th in a century completed in just 103 balls and also featuring four sixes.

A spectacular innings came to a spectacular end when Atkinson mistimed a pull off an Asitha Fernando bouncer and was brilliantly caught by a diving Milan Rathnayake as he launched himself towards the rope.

Atkinson walked off to a rousing reception, having faced just 115 balls.

Fernando ended the innings by dismissing Olly Stone to secure his place on the honours boards with a return of 5-102 in 21 overs.  

Sri Lanka openers Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne then both played on for seven before wickets continued to tumble.

But in-form left-hander Mendis, again batting curiously low in the order at No 7, hooked three sixes off recalled quick Stone, the last injuring an MCC member in the pavilion, during a 120-ball innings also featuring eight fours. 

Dropped on 62 when Root floored a routine chance in the deep, the 25-year-old eventually holed out off Atkinson to round off a memorable day for the fast bowler.

ENG vs SL, 1st Test Day 4 LIVE Score© AFP

Mark Wood scripted history as he bowled the fastest recorded Test over by an England bowler at home during the ongoing day of the second Test against West Indies at Trent Bridge here on Friday. Wood, who replaced retired pacer James Anderson in England’s playing 11, set the bar high in his first over as he wasted no time and clocked the speed of 93.9 mph (151.1 km/h) on the first delivery to opener Mikyle Louis. He bettered his it and clocked 96.1 mph (154.65 km/h) on the second ball, leaving the batter clueless. Wood continued his onslaught with deliveries at 95.2 mph (152.88 km/h) and 92.2 mph (148.06 km/h) before delivering a searing 96.5 mph (155.30 km/h) yorker on his fifth ball, which Louis managed to dig out for a single.

The 34-year-old England pacer ended the over with another fast delivery at 95.2 mph (153.20 km/h) to West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, averaging 94.40 mph over six balls.

In his second over, Wood ramped up the heat with deliveries clocked at 95 mph (152 km/h), 93 mph (149.66 km/h), 95 mph (152 km/h), 96 mph (154.49 km/h), 97.1 mph (156.26 km/h), and 94 mph (151.27 km/h).

In the third Ashes Test at Headingley last year, the 34-year-old Wood raised the tempo when he reached blazing speeds of 91 mph, 93 mph, 95 mph, 93 mph, 94 mph, and 93 mph in an over. In the end, England prevailed by three wickets in the test.

Wood upped the ante when he hit a short delivery against Louis at 97.1 mph in his third over.

The 34-year-old is regarded as one of the world’s quickest bowlers across formats. In the Multan Test in 2022, he set the fastest Test delivery speed of 156.6 kmph against Pakistan.

In the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, which England won, Wood bowled the fastest delivery of the tournament, clocking 154.74 km/h against New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips in a Super 12 match. Wood dominated the top 10 fastest deliveries of the World Cup, with six of his balls exceeding 153 km/h.

Wood also set a record for the fastest T20 over in men’s cricket, averaging 149.02 kmph in a four-over spell against Afghanistan during the World Cup. Additionally, he bowled the fastest delivery of the 2019 ODI World Cup, reaching 154 km/h against New Zealand’s Henry Nicholls in the final at Lord’s.

ENG vs WI 2nd Test Day 2 LIVE© AFP

James Anderson bowed out of international cricket on the winning side as England thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 114 runs on the third day of the first Test at Lord’s on Friday. This was the 41-year-old veteran’s 188th and last Test before retiring from England duty, with Anderson’s tally of 704 Test wickets the most taken by any fast bowler in the history of the format. “It’s been an amazing week, been overwhelmed with the reaction of the crowd and everyone around the ground,” Anderson told Sky Sports.

“I’m just proud of what I’ve achieved,” he added.

But it was Gus Atkinson, who ended the game when he had Jayden Seales caught in the deep, the debutant fast bowler finishing with superb match figures of 12-106 as England went 1-0 up in a three-Test series. 

West Indies were dismissed for 136 in their second innings, with Anderson — 42 later this month — taking a typically miserly 3-32 in 16 overs  

They resumed on the brink of defeat at 79-6 in their second innings, still a mammoth 171 runs behind England’s first-innings 37.

But with only four more wickets left to fall, Anderson had no chance of eclipsing Australia great Shane Warne‘s tally of 708 Test wickets and moving into second place in the all-time list headed by another spinner in Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets). 

Before Friday’s play started, both teams lined up outside the Pavilion to give Anderson a guard of honour, with the veteran paceman receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the ‘Home of Cricket’ — where he made his Test debut against Zimbabwe back in 2003.

‘Emotional’

“Obviously this morning was quite emotional with the two teams lined up and the reaction from the crowd,” said Anderson.

“I’m still trying to hold back the tears now. Playing for 20-odd years is an incredible effort, especially for a fast bowler, so I’m happy I’ve made it this far. It’s the best job in the world and I’ve been privileged to be able to do it..”

West Indies had lost Jason Holder to Thursday’s last ball and, after Atkinson completed that over, Anderson was straight into the action at the Nursery End on Friday.

It was not long before Anderson struck in familiar fashion when Joshua Da Silva, who had added just one to his overnight eight not out, feathered a ball that angled in and nipped away to give wicketkeeper Jamie Smith a simple catch on the England Test debutant’s 24th birthday.

West Indies were now 88-7, with many left wondering why Anderson — set to become a mentor to England’s quicks — was calling it a day given he could still produce deliveries like this.

The rationale behind the selectors’ decision was the need to rebuild ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Atkinson then had Alzarri Joseph out hooking a bouncer to complete a 10-wicket haul for the match.

Atkinson was just the third bowler to take at least 10 wickets on their Test debut at Lord’s after England great Alec Bedser (11-145 against India in 1946) and Australia’s Bob Massie (16-137 in 1972)  

The 26-year-old Atkinson then bowled Shamar Joseph with an excellent yorker that crashed into the base of off stump.

Anderson then missed a chance to finish the match — and his England career — in fairytale fashion when he dropped a return chance from tailender Gudakesh Motie.

“I’m still gutted I dropped that catch, to be honest,” said Anderson after close of play.

Motie then became the first West Indies batsman in the match to reach 30 but that could not disguise the failings of his top-order team-mates.

The West Indies were dismissed for just 121 in their first innings as Atkinson took a sensational 7-45.

By contrast, five England batsmen all scored fifties with Smith, a Surrey team-mate of Atkinson, contributing a stylish 70.

West Indies now have little time to regroup before the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham starts on Thursday.

But they at least have the consolation of knowing they won’t have to face Anderson again.

England vs West Indies LIVE, 1st Test Day 3© AFP

James Anderson may be retiring after the first Test between England and West Indies, but he reminded everyone that class is permanent on Day 2 of the match. Anderson came back to bowl after England achieved a 250-run lead in the first innings. Opening the bowling, Anderson struck first, sending back West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite with a superb inswinger. Having claimed only one wicket in the first innings, Anderson produced the special delivery he’d been searching to cap off an incredible Test career.

Watch: Anderson knocks over Brathwaite with unplayable delivery

Jimmy Anderson, there are no words pic.twitter.com/bBRCS1uykD

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2024

Bowling the ninth over of the West Indies second innings, Anderson’s ball dipped low and swung back in towards the right-handed Brathwaite, who was completely foxed. It was Anderson’s 702nd Test wicket.

“Top class from James Anderson. Finally, the good bowlers will find a way through,” remarked Ian Bishop from the commentary box.

Anderson would strike again later in the day, picking up his 703rd wicket by dismissing Alick Athanaze. West Indies ended Day 2 on 79/6, staring at an innings defeat.

However, with only four more wickets left, Anderson cannot touch Shane Warne‘s tally of 708 Test wickets, and eclipse him to become the second-highest Test wicket-taker. Muttiah Muralidharan still maintains the lead at 800 Test scalps.

Atkinson steals the show in Anderson’s farewell game

As Anderson prepared to bid goodbye, another pacer saying hello to the world of Test cricket took the England-West Indies game by storm. 26-year-old pacer Gus Atkinson – making his debut – ran through the West Indies batting, picking up seven wickets in the first innings.

Atkinson’s remarkable debut helped England bundle out the Windies for a paltry 121. In reply, England put up 371, courtesy of half-centuries from Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and another debutant Jamie Smith.

Atkinson had been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2024, but did not play a game and eventually withdrew from the squad.