A remarkable debut performance by Gus Atkinson led to a rapid collapse of the West Indies batting lineup in the second session of the Lord's Test, as they were bowled out for a mere 121. Atkinson's impressive figures of 7/45 made him the seventh Englishman to take seven wickets in an innings on debut, with only Dominic Cork's 7/43 against the West Indies at the same venue in 1995 surpassing him. The visitors lost seven wickets for just 60 runs, and England reached 30/1 at Tea, with Zak Crawley unbeaten on 24.
England's openers started cautiously, scoring only three runs in the first three overs, before Zak Crawley hit two consecutive boundaries off Jayden Seales. Ben Duckett was given a reprieve when Mikyle Louis dropped a simple catch at point, denying Alzarri Joseph a wicket in the fifth over. Crawley added another boundary in the same over, narrowly clearing mid-on. Seales broke the opening stand just before Tea by getting Duckett to edge to the wicketkeeper.
The second session saw Atkinson bowling a short ball to Kavem Hodge, who hit it for a four, showing intent after a watchful first session where the West Indies scored just over two runs per over. Alick Athanaze followed with two consecutive straight drives against Chris Woakes for boundaries. Hodge also hit a short ball from Atkinson for a six. Despite Woakes testing Athanaze by bowling around the wicket, the left-hander drove another ball from Atkinson through covers for a four.
Atkinson struck back, dismissing Athanaze by having him edge to first slip, ending a 44-run fourth-wicket stand, and then sent Jason Holder back for a first-ball duck. Although Joshua Da Silva avoided a hat-trick, he soon fell to an inside edge, giving debutant wicketkeeper Jamie Smith his first catch. Atkinson became the ninth England bowler to take five wickets on Test debut at Lord's. The milestones kept coming for England as Ollie Pope took a sharp catch off Woakes to dismiss Hodge, giving Woakes his 150th Test wicket.
Alzarri Joseph launched a counter-attack, hitting four fours in an over off Atkinson, much to the delight of Sir Viv Richards in the stands. Joseph helped West Indies pass 100 but was dismissed looking for another big hit, giving Atkinson his sixth wicket. Atkinson claimed his seventh by having Shamar Joseph top-edge a pull, but he couldn't achieve an eighth wicket as James Anderson trapped Seales in front to end the innings.
In the first session, both teams' debutants made significant impacts. England's consistent strikes put them in a dominant position. Mikyle Louis began confidently for the West Indies, hitting regular boundaries and a six off Woakes, while experienced Kraigg Brathwaite struggled against the moving ball. Despite his tight lines, Anderson went wicketless in his first spell of five overs for 11 runs, including two maidens. Atkinson made an immediate impression, dismissing Brathwaite (inside edge onto the stumps) and Kirk McKenzie (caught at second slip) to make early breakthroughs.
Ben Stokes, focusing on his fitness after skipping the IPL and T20 World Cup, brought himself on at the start of the 14th over and bowled eight overs in his first spell. He moved the ball both ways and varied his lengths to keep the batsmen guessing. His persistence paid off as Louis edged to third slip, where Harry Brook took a stunning one-handed catch. Anderson and Stokes bowled until the end of the first session, but Hodge and Athanaze survived until Lunch, only for Atkinson to dismantle the West Indies lineup after the break.
Brief Scores: West Indies 121 (Mikyle Louis 27, Kavem Hodge 24; Gus Atkinson 7-45, Ben Stokes 1-14) lead England 30/1 (Zak Crawley 24, Jayden Seales 1-11) by 91 runs.