Gus Atkinson will ease back into first-class cricket with Surrey’s second XI this week after being overlooked by both England and his county’s senior side, despite recovering from a hamstring strain that has kept him out since May.
The 27-year-old quick was passed fit ahead of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford but did not make England’s final XII. With the tourists trailing 2-1, team management preferred the reliability of Chris Woakes to an untried Atkinson on a soft Manchester surface. “We’re comfortable with the group we’ve used so far,” head coach Brendon McCullum said on Monday. “Gus has trained well, yet we don’t want to rush him straight into a high-pressure Test.”
England then sounded out Surrey about giving the centrally-contracted bowler a first-team outing in this week’s Championship match at Scarborough. The defending champions, one point clear at the top of Division One, politely declined. Director of cricket Alec Stewart stressed match readiness rather than any club-versus-country agenda. “He’s two months without a red-ball game,” Stewart noted. “Throwing him in against Yorkshire with a Kookaburra ball isn’t the smartest move. We’d rather he bowls 40 overs for the seconds and comes back sharper.”
Instead, Atkinson will turn out at the LSE Ground in New Malden against Somerset’s seconds, a four-day fixture starting Tuesday. The county believe the lower-intensity environment will allow him to build up spells under the watchful eye of bowling coach Azhar Mahmood.
Surrey can afford such prudence. Jamie Overton, rested by England after the first three Tests, returns to Championship duty alongside Jordan Clark, Dan Worrall and Matthew Fisher, the latter having taken ten wickets with the Australian ball in the previous two rounds. “We’ve got cover,” head coach Gareth Batty remarked. “There’s no point gambling with Gus when the season’s barely half-done.”
Atkinson’s situation highlights a familiar tension around ECB central contracts. While England foot the wage bill, counties retain control of selection. An England performance analyst admitted privately that this can be “frustrating”, yet conceded Surrey are within their rights. “We want him bowling somewhere, though. Second-team overs are better than net sessions.”
Another unused England seamer, Josh Tongue, will follow a different route. Having played the first two Tests, the Worcestershire-born right-armer is set to join Nottinghamshire for days three and four of their match against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl.
For Atkinson, the next week is about proving durability rather than raw pace. He last played competitively in England’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, where he pulled up mid-spell. Last Saturday, he managed a brief club outing for Spencer CC, but four overs is a far cry from the daily grind of Championship cricket.
A good showing in New Malden could reopen doors quickly. England may rotate their attack for the final Test at The Oval, and Surrey face a run of red-ball fixtures in August. “If he gets through this unscathed, he’s in the frame straight away,” Stewart added.
For now, both England and Surrey are preaching patience. It may not satisfy supporters eager to see the fast bowler back in the headlines, yet with an Ashes tour looming this winter, no one wants a recurrence that might cost him an even bigger stage.
