
Gus Atkinson embroiled in club vs country fracas following his omission from Surrey Championship clash against Yorkshire.
After being left out of England’s squad to play India in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Gus Atkinson is now embroiled in a country vs county dispute that will ultimately see him play for Surrey’s second XI rather than their first.
Since suffering a hamstring injury during England’s one-off Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in May, Atkinson has not participated in competitive cricket. He is failed to make an appearance, despite being judged fit enough to rejoin the team starting with the third Test and even playing for his club team, Spencer CC, on the Saturday of the Lord’s Test.
Bowling consultant Tim Southee and men’s physical preparation coach Peter Sim put the 27-year-old through his paces on Monday afternoon. The management has chosen not to select Atkinson for the Manchester Test, which starts on Wednesday, despite the fact that England leads the series 2-1.
Atkinson won’t be risked because of the soft outfield and the requirement to add a teammate who can ensure a specific number of overs to players like Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and captain Ben Stokes. Despite taking seven wickets at 56.42 in the current series, Chris Woakes has maintained his spot after playing well a week after the last day at Lord’s.
England was eager for Atkinson to travel north to Scarborough for Surrey’s County Championship match against Yorkshire under the current conditions. The county has chosen not to include Atkinson in their starting lineup, though. Rather, he will go back to London to play for Surrey’s second team against Somerset at the club’s LSE Ground in New Malden over the course of four days.
Surrey has the same reasons as England for not picking Atkinson: he hasn’t played in two months, and since the Kookaburra ball will be used this round, they might have to rely largely on their bowlers. They also have the depth not to need to risk Atkinson for this crucial fixture, with the defending champions currently leading Division One by just a point from Nottinghamshire.
Since Atkinson is currently under a two-year central contract, his salary is paid by the ECB rather than Surrey. It is acknowledged that England cannot impose their will on counties when it comes to selection, even though they would clearly prefer Atkinson to be in the starting lineup.
Josh Tongue, another of England’s left-out seamers, will play for Nottinghamshire on days three and four of their Championship matchup with Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl. Tongue played in the first two Test matches at Headingley and Edgbaston.