Gus Atkinson joins elusive list with New Zealand Test hat-trick

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WELLINGTON: England pace bowler Gus Atkinson claimed his Test career’s first hat-trick during the second Test against New Zealand here on Saturday to join an exclusive club of bowlers.

New Zealand were struggling on 125-7 with Glenn Phillips and Nathan Smith on the crease when Atkinson wrapped up their innings with a historic hat-trick.

Atkinson claimed the wickets of Smith, Matt Henry, and Tim Southee with three consecutive deliveries, marking the 15th instance of a bowler from England recording a hat-trick in Test cricket.

He uprooted Smith’s middle stump with a brilliant delivery, while Henry tried to evade a sharply rising short ball, but only managed to glove it into the hands of Ben Duckett.

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Atkinson then bowled a full and straight delivery that crashed into Southee’s front pad, dead in front of the middle stump. Southee opted for the review, but to no avail, as umpire Rod Tucker raised his finger decisively for a second time, confirming the dismissal.

It’s worth noting that Atkinson’s hat-trick was the 50th Test hat-trick in global cricket—47 in men’s matches and three in women’s.

The last English player to accomplish this feat was Moeen Ali who claimed a hat-trick against South Africa at The Oval in 2017.

Notably, Gus Atkinson is the 14th English player to join the exclusive club of hat-trick takers, joining the ranks of illustrious names such as Stuart Broad, who claimed two in his storied career.