Don’t talk about the Ashes. Don’t talk about the Ashes. Don’t. Talk. About the Ashes. OK. We can talk about the Ashes. But just for a bit, and only in the context of some quietly vital events in the opening session at a green and swampy Oval on the second day of this fifth Test.
Two things happened here that will have nudged the dial, not just in this match, but before Perth in November and England’s next one. The second of these was an hour of revivalist Bazball as Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley produced a wonderfully breezy 92-run opening stand in reply to India’s 224. The fifty opening stand from seven overs was the fastest for England in the first innings of a Test.
The second and more vital of the two vital things came immediately before this, as Gus Atkinson did an important thing without really seeming to do an important thing. He did so brusquely and methodically as ever, marking a pencil point, inserting a rawlplug of appropriate gauge and putting a first firm screw in the wall, the obvious key peg in England’s attack come November in Perth.
Atkinson was his usual bashful self as he raised the ball to the stands on his home ground after completing five for 33 to close India’s innings. He has that studied anonymity, the look of the forgotten sixth member of a boyband, now grudgingly back for the reunion tour. But he made a decisive statement here, and at a key moment.
The five-for here was confirmation, first of that stellar early record, and second, just in the eye test. Atkinson looked so much better than everyone else here, all clean lines, simple, easy action, the whip in his delivery, the flick of the wrist. His pace was up at 88mph at times. Of his wickets Dhruv Jurel was a good, Aussie-facing one, a hard edge from bounce not lateral movement that flew thrillingly high to Harry Brook.
For the second day in a row Atkinson found a lovely rhythm early on. He had Washington Sundar caught hooking at an 87mph bouncer. He padded the numbers with two in an over at the end, bowled and nicked off, having promised to go straighter. But it was well deserved having provided the only element of control on day one. He looked like a leader too. It is easy to forget how good his start has been, and how hard this is to do after just 21 non-Test matches.
