Surrey player Gus Atkinson says he is looking forward to the physical examination seam bowlers undergo in Indian conditions after receiving his maiden Test call-up.
Atkinson, bought for £95,000 by Kolkata Knight Riders at the Indian Premier League auction earlier this week, will offer one of the pace options for England captain Ben Stokes during the five-match series starting next month.
‘Career-wise I’ve obviously played more white-ball cricket but I want to play all formats and skill-wise I think I’m there,’ he said.
‘Trying to keep my pace up will be a tough challenge, always running in. It’ll be difficult as a seamer to get wickets there but the key will be just staying as consistent and patient as possible.’
Elsewhere, his team-mate, Tom Curran has been banned for four Big Bash League matches after being found guilty of intimidating a match official – although Sydney Sixers will appeal the disciplinary sanction.
Gus Atkinson says he is looking forward to the physical examination seam bowlers undergo in Indian conditions
Atkinson will offer one of the pace options for England captain Ben Stokes during the five-match series starting next month
Curran, the older brother of England all-rounder Sam Curran, was charged with a Level 3 offence under Cricket Australia’s code of conduct after the incident in which he inexplicably ran at reserve umpire Muhammad Quereshi before the Sixers’ win over Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston on December 11.
Television footage showed the 28-year-old being advised by Quereshi that he wasn’t allowed to practise his bowling run-up onto the match pitch after he had done so – only the captains and coaches of the respective teams are permitted to walk on the cut strip before play as per the laws of the game.
However, Curran, a player with 60 international caps himself, then switched to the other end of the ground in an attempt to repeat the trick, leading to the official acting as a human blockade at the bowling crease.
‘You can run here,’ Quereshi could be heard saying through the stump microphones, pointing to an adjacent strip, ‘not here,’ gesturing towards the pitch itself.
Following a brief pause, Curran, standing at the top of his mark, 20 yards away, then charged in as if to bowl, running directly at the official before sidestepping at the last minute and planting his front foot into the bowlers’ landing area.
After Curran veered off the playing surface, the clip released by Channel 7 in Australia, then appeared to beep out an expletive.
‘Curran was seen in the footage gesturing to the umpire to move away from the pitch,’ said Cricket Australia in a statement.
‘Curran then attempted to perform a practice run-up and run at pace straight towards the umpire who stood in the bowling crease facing Curran. The umpire stepped to his right to avoid the risk of collision.’
Tom Curran has been banned for four Big Bash League matches after being found guilty of intimidating a match official
Curran claimed bowling figures of three for 19 and then hit the winning runs in the six-wicket success for the visiting team.
The Surrey player contested the charge, but is now set to miss four of the Sixers’ 10 group stage matches, pending an appeal from his franchise.
Rachael Haynes, the head of the Sixers, confirmed they would support their player and ‘vigorously appeal the sanction.’
Haynes said: ‘Tom and the club maintain that Tom did not knowingly or intentionally intimidate a match official, and on legal advice, we will exercise our right to appeal the decision. We will support Tom during this period and look forward to him returning to the field.’
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