Gus Atkinson is not among those fast bowlers whose expressions spread out through an outburst of body language; instead, he tries to transform his expressions through his bowling.
In response to former England National Cricket Team pacer Stuart Broad, the 28-year-old explained his way of controlling his individual performance and maintaining his emotions. During the previous Ashes series, Stuart Broad said the body language of Gus Atkinson looked not appropriate for a Test bowler.
Gus Atkinson issues counter questions to Stuart Broad
Atkinson, however, does not bother with the former’s judgment. In the latest interview with The Telegraph, England quick Atkinson elaborated on how he treats bowling for the national side in the longest format of the game.
In response to Broad’s assessment when he said, “his body language is not of a Test-match bowler in the battle”, Atkinson issued a counter question to Stuart Broad: “My body language has been mentioned. But what am I meant to do? Strut around?”
Atkinson claimed that it would disturb his bowling if he put his focus on his body language. So, he never thinks to translate his body language into a more visible form to the spectators.
“If I am focusing on my body language, that is not going to help my bowling. I didn’t take that many in Australia, but I am not thinking about that stuff. I am thinking about taking wickets and winning the game. I find body language pretty irrelevant,” Gus Atkinson said.
Gus Atkinson explains why he does not celebrate massively during Test matches
Since making his Test debut in 2024, Gus Atkinson has represented England in 18 Tests, taking 79 wickets including five 5-fers. With the bat, he has so far scored 513 runs with one century. Undoubtedly, the Test numbers are decent, but Broad’s concern was about his body language.
While most of the fast bowlers possess aggressive body language, Atkinson maintains a calm, composed nature on the ground. The pacer mentioned that the team gets victory by performing well against the opponents, not by doing celebrations in the middle.
“I’ve always been someone who doesn’t see the point in celebrating one wicket. It doesn’t mean you will win the game. Yes, it’s a step in the right direction, but I focus on overall performance. It’s nice to get a wicket, but when I celebrate a wicket it’s the result of bowling a spell and getting the reward for what I’ve tried to do,” he added in the interview.
Gus Atkinson wants to celebrate the win
Instead of celebrating in brief moments, Atkinson likes to celebrate after matches. Test cricket, a 5-day format, which builds around multiple key moments before producing the ultimate result, values those who merge as the winner.
“You see someone bowl a short and wide one, cut to point and they go mad. I don’t really get it. A Test is five days, and at the end of it you want to win, and if you do, you celebrate that moment,” the England pacer stated.
