Gus Atkinson was one of the Test side’s fastest bowlers over the summer, but England decided to control his workload and pulled him from the 50-over team for their match against Australia later this month. In his stead, Olly Stone has joined the team for England’s five ODI series against Australia, after the decision by the management to rest him.
Atkinson’s performance was good throughout the matches
Before taking 34 wickets in six Test matches, Atkinson made his debut in July at Lord’s against the West Indies, taking 12 wickets in that match. Throughout the back-to-back Test series against Sri Lanka and the West Indies, he and Chris Woakes were the constant seamers.
Atkinson’s pace appeared to have diminished during the latter part of the Sri Lanka series. On day three at The Oval, he was forced to leave the field due to a tight quadriceps, but he was later judged fit enough to bowl 11 overs in the fourth innings, which resulted in the loss of one of Sri Lanka’s two wickets. In his stead, Olly Stone has joined the team for England’s five ODI series against Australia, after the decision by the management to rest him.
Prior to a three-Test tour, England is scheduled to visit Pakistan at the end of September. In November, they will play three more Tests in New Zealand. With the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson this summer, they have been trying to restructure the seam attack, and they will already be without Mark Wood, who was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury.
Player management will be ECB’s top priority
Ollie Pope, the acting Test captain for England, stated of Atkinson, “I think he’s okay.” “It’s clear that he needs a few weeks off to regroup and continue. He can now relax with his feet up, but based on his bowling performance today and our conversation, he feels better than when he first experienced it, so that’s encouraging for both of us. Hopefully, he’s doing well.”
Player management will be the ECB’s top priority given the short turnaround before England start their winter touring schedule in Pakistan and a schedule that includes six more Test matches before Christmas, interspersed with a white-ball tour to the Caribbean. In addition to Stone, the ODI team also includes Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Matt Potts, and Jamie Smith, five players who participated against Sri Lanka. Ben Stokes hoped to be well enough to take up his captaincy for Pakistan, and Pope was certain that there would be no problems inspiring the team there.
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“Obviously from a batting point of view it’s different to the fast bowlers, but I think they’ll have a couple weeks off just to refresh and get right for that,” Pope added. “I don’t think much more incentive is needed because, in my opinion, donning an England shirt is the highest honor.
“As a team, we enjoy touring since every tour presents a fresh, fun challenge. Thus, in my opinion, that is acceptable. Although we have a quick turnaround, I believe that as a team, we adore wearing an England shirt whenever we get the chance. So getting up for it won’t be a problem. There will be a great deal of enthusiasm when it arrives in Pakistan.” Pope mentioned
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