But at Lord’s he looked fit for promotion as he scored 74 on Thursday evening, lofting Prabath Jayasuriya twice over mid-off and then lifting Lahiru Kumara’s tiring short ball over midwicket. “I was at the other end when he hit a straight six, it was unbelievable,” Root said with a laugh at the end of the game. “It’s like watching someone like Jacques Kallis play.”
He took his overnight score to 100 off just 22 balls, but not without fear. After hitting his first two balls of the morning for four – one off the pads and one punching through the covers – he was out lbw to Paul Reifel, but was reviewed to save him and the ball was found to be off leg. England batting coach Marcus Trescothick punched the ball in the air from the balcony to save him.
Atkinson showed no such emotion, and was characteristically unwavering as he cruised into triple figures. He worked hard on the fundamentals with Surrey coaches Gareth Batty and Jade Dunbach, trying to keep his eyes level on his release. His practice paid off with shots that went from 95 to 103, and he hit clean drives from both mid-off.
Finally, Atkinson smiled, clenched his fists and stormed into the pavilion. His father Ed watched in disbelief from the hospitality suite in the Grandstand, while his teammates applauded from the balcony, all smiles and sharing in the incredible success of a man who had averaged 6.71 in the County Championship this season.
Atkinson had dinner with Jack Crawley and Harry Brook on Thursday night and was teased a bit by them about the possibility of reaching three figures. “There was a bit of pressure from them, but thankfully I got there,” he said. “It was just pure joy. I was so happy, so relieved. It was quite a surreal moment.
“I was pretty happy (last night),” Atkinson added. “I tried not to put too much pressure on myself because I’d already scored over 70. If I’m out, I’m out. I just wanted to keep playing the way I played yesterday. Luckily, that worked for me today. I felt like I got to a lot of the edge today, so it was nice to get there pretty quickly this morning.”
Broad’s average since that hundred has been 15.64, and he has not scored a hundred in 199 innings since, with only eight fifties, is a reminder that Atkinson has not always had it this easy. Despite his composure, he has faced a four-man batsman with 57 Test caps. Batting may look a little simpler next year when he faces India and Australia.
But Atkinson doesn’t seem to be the type to get ideas from above his level and has made it clear he has no desire for promotion. “I’m happy eighth. Eighth is a good number,” he said. “I didn’t think too much about it… Obviously not having Stokish in this series gave me the opportunity to bat eighth, and fortunately I got a 100. I want to be as high up in the plate as possible going forward.
“I was frustrated with my hitting this year. I didn’t score a lot of runs in Surrey. But I know how good I am. I think I have a natural ability to hit, and I felt like I was moving really well and hitting the ball really cleanly. It was one of those days where it just gets to you.”
In the long run, his injury, along with the bat, could allow England to make bold decisions away from home. With Atkinson contributing regularly at No. 8, they could afford to send Chris Woakes overseas without too much damage to the team’s balance. More directly, it has put them on the cusp of a five-game winning streak and their second series win of the summer.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
