'I've always known my ability and what I can do', says Gus Atkinson after four-wicket haul on T20I debut

London, Sep 3 (IANS) England pacer Gus Atkinson’s rise reached a phenomenal high when he took a four-wicket haul on his T20I debut against New Zealand in the second game of the series, giving the hosts a crushing 95-run win.

Atkinson was mighty impressive on his debut, taking 4-20 and captivating the interest of the fans with his raw pace, a prospect which makes him a scary bowler to face for the opposition batters. The right-arm pacer, who’s also in England’s provisional squad for the Men’s ODI World Cup, stated that he had the belief things could work out quickly for him via his abilities.

"I knew that once I got going, it could happen quickly. I've always known my ability and what I can do and I always knew once I had a chance with the games… The Hundred's a big opportunity and I knew if I could perform in that it would happen quickly and thankfully it has," Atkinson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Though Atkinson last played a 50-over game in 2021, he feels that experience of playing county championship should hold him in good stead for the ODI World Cup. "I haven't played much 50-over cricket but I've played a bit of Championship cricket this year, so should be all right," he added.

For some time, Atkinson has been compared to England’s star fast-bowler Jofra Archer due to his exceptional raw pace. But the pacer said comparisons with Archer doesn't bother him much. "Probably a year-and-a-half now. I don't like to think about that much to be honest."

England already have a 2-0 lead in the four-match T20I series against New Zealand. The third match takes place at Birmingham on Sunday. It will be followed by a four-ODI series against the same opponent, where Atkinson is a part of England’s squad.

Defending champions England will open its ODI World Cup 2023 campaign against New Zealand in what will be the re-match of the 2019 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 5. The ten-team tournament will conclude with the final to be also held in Ahmedabad on November 19.

--IANS

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