Gus Atkinson Became Fourth Bowler To Take A Hat-trick In WTC

English fast bowler Gus Atkinson became the fourth bowler to take a hat-trick in the WTC (World Test Championship) during the second test against New Zealand on Saturday in Wellington. Jasprit Bumrah, Naseem Shah, and Keshav Maharaj are the others to achieve this feat before.

Atkinson dismissed three batters in the tail of New Zealand- Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, and Tim Southee to complete his hat-trick. First Smith got played down off a back-of-length delivery in the 34.3 overs, then Henry edged one to gully while saving himself from a short ball, therefore the 26-year-old bowled an incoming length ball to trap Southee in front of the wickets. He snared four wickets overall to help the visitors fold the Kiwis for a mere 125 in the first innings.

The Surrey county bowler made his debut earlier this year against West Indies at Lord’s and has already taken 47 scalps in only 10 games with three fifers to his name. Atkinson’s knack for taking wickets can make him a big asset for England in the longest format of the game, after all, they need a bowler to fill up the shoes of legendary James Anderson who was a long-serving servant for them.

Indian veteran Jasprit Bumrah was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the WTC during the 2019-21 circle against West Indies in Kingston. Pakistani sensation Naseem Shah bagged his hat-trick against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi in 2020 and Keshav Maharaj accomplished this milestone against West Indies in Gros Islet in 2021.