Pakistan vs England: Gus Atkinson’s ‘nothing different’ strategy works; pacer strikes early in Multan Test

Ahead of the first Test match against Pakistan, England pacer Gus Atkinson stated that he planned to maintain his usual approach and not do anything different in the upcoming long-format match.

His approach worked. Atkinson's first wicket came when Saim Ayub, attempting a leg-side shot, gloved the ball to wicket-keeper Jamie Smith. This early dismissal reduced Pakistan to 8/1, giving England an advantage as early as in the 4th over.

In 7 overs bowled so far, the 26-year-old England pacer had 2 maiden overs. He gave away 32 runs for 1 wicket. Pakistan have, however, settled down after losing the early wicket. They are 122/1 in 25 overs at lunch. The first Test began on October 7 in Multan.

Atkinson, who made his Test debut in 2024 against West Indies, played six Test matches and 12 innings before this, taking 34 wickets at an economy rate of 4.13.

Gus Atkinson had an impressive home season against West Indies and Sri Lanka. This is his first overseas Test series. Meanwhile, Chris Woakes will be returning to Test cricket after a 2.5-year gap.

Star batter Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the Multan Test after failing to recover from a hamstring injury. Stokes had initially suffered the injury during The Hundred tournament in August, which also forced him to miss England’s 2-1 victory against Sri Lanka.

In his absence, Ollie Pope will captain the team for the fourth consecutive Test match. Pope had previously led the side to victory in the series against Sri Lanka.

Gus Atkinson’s message

In a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on social media, Atkinson mentioned that the weather in Multan was much hotter than in England. He acknowledged the difference in conditions and said he would seek advice from players familiar with the region.

“I'm just trying not to do anything different. I know the conditions are different, so I'll speak to people who have played here before and try to learn from them. But I'm going to play my own game and do what works for me," Atkinson said.

The second Test match will start on October 15, also in Multan. The final Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24 to 28.