The opener was delayed in arriving at the England training session on Tuesday morning and was first in the nets on Monday with fiancée Paige. The fact that it is a home Test for Duckett will help with the logistics of getting the West Indies attack ready for the newcomer ahead of Thursday’s start at Nottingham.
“There is a plan for Ben and his partner,” Ben Stokes told his captain’s press conference on Wednesday. “If it happens before the game starts, we will have to make a decision.
“If anything happens during the Test matches, Ben will just go and come back to the team. He obviously wants to play on home soil but the message from me and Baz is that family always comes first. Whatever decision he makes, he will have my support and Baz’s support.”
That these were only the second and third five-wicket hauls of Atkinson’s career speaks volumes about his relative lack of first-class experience. Not only was this only his 20th red-ball appearance, but he had also opened the bowling in the field just seven times in 38 innings.
The last time was against a Sri Lanka Development XI in May 2022, but Atkinson has plenty of new-ball experience in limited-overs cricket. He has represented England in three ODIs and two T20Is, playing in the No. 5 role.
Stokes is fully confident Atkinson is the right fit for the job and believes starting alongside the 26-year-old will have a positive impact on the rest of the bowling attack, especially as Dukes has performed slightly differently in English conditions over the past few years.
“He had all the attributes of a very, very good bowler. A lot of it had to do with the Dukes ball, how it behaved,” Stokes said.
“With the new ball, there wasn’t really that much movement in the air. It was usually just coming off the surface and hitting the seam, and Gus supports that very well.
“In the 10-12 overs, one side gets a buff and that’s when the real swing starts. That’s where Woody and I come in. Woody is bowling at 94mph and it’s hard for anyone to swing the ball.”
