England pacer Gus Atkinson etched his name in the history books after making a dream comeback to the England team with a five-wicket haul against India in the fifth Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy on Friday (August 1) at the Oval.
The 27-year-old was key as the hosts bowled out India for just 224 after Ollie Pope won the toss and chose to bowl first. Atkinson took a five-wicket haul while conceding just 33 runs. He dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna
Gus Atkinson Creates History
With his incredible display at the Oval after missing the first four Tests due to an injury, Atkinson has continued the dream start to his Test career. The right-arm pacer now has 60 wickets in just 13 matches (24 innings) with four five-wicket hauls at an average of 21 and strike-rate (SR) of 34.9.
Atkinson is only the second bowler in history, after England’s George Lohmann, to have taken over 60 wickets in the longest format and have a strike-rate below 35. Lohmann took 112 wickets in his Test career, which ended 129 years ago in 1896.
Players With Best Bowling SR (Minimum 60 wickets)
| Player | Bowling Strike-Rate | Matches Played | Career Span | Wickets | Bowling Average |
| Goerge Lohmann (England) | 34.1 | 18 | 1886-1896 | 112 | 10.75 |
| Gus Atkinson (England) | 34,9 | 13 | 2024-present | 60 | 21.00 |
| Scott Boland (Australia) | 36.0 | 14 | 2021-present | 62 | 16.53 |
| John James Ferris (England/Australia) | 37.7 | 9 | 1887-1892 | 61 | 12.70 |
| Marco Jansen (South Africa) | 38.0 | 18 | 2021-present | 77 | 22.02 |
Among bowlers with a minimum of 50 wickets, only Shamar Joseph has a better SR, which is equal to Lohmann’s (34.1) and better than Atkinson’s. Joseph reached the milestone last month against Australia after making his Test debut last year. The West Indies star has taken 50 wickets in 11 matches with four five-wicket hauls.