In a surprising move, England has included fast bowler Gus Atkinson in their initial 15-man roster for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
Atkinson earned his first England call-up after a string of impressive displays in the County Championship and The Hundred. Last week at The Hundred, the Surrey fast recorded 95 mph and made an impression on Jos Buttler with an intense face-off.
The 25-year-old has suffered from stress fractures throughout his career, limiting the number of games he has played in every format. Only 14 first-class games, 2 List A games, and 41 T20s have been played by Atkinson thus far in his career.
England took a risk by calling him up, given it had been two years since he had played in a professional fifty-overs game. However, England’s National Selector, Luke Wright, thinks the fast bowler would be a “real asset” for England’s team.
“First and foremost, Gus deserves to be in there,” Wright said while announcing the squad.
“I’m sure everyone’s been watching him, he’s hugely exciting and he’s been outstanding, not just in the Hundred but also how he’s gone in the Blast. He roughed me up on a few occasions when I was still playing and marked my card. He’s a real asset for us and we’re delighted to give him an opportunity.”
Already, many are making analogies between Atkinson and Jofra Archer, who is still recovering but did not make the World Cup team this year after being called up unexpectedly.
Archer arrived in England just before the 2019 World Cup and was a key contributor to the Three Lions’ victorious title defense, as he took 20 wickets in 11 games and ranked third in the tournament in that category.
Atkinson’s slick run-up and quick bouncers provide England another edge as they travel to India to defend their crown, in addition to the obvious similarities in pace to Archer.
