England cruised to victory inside seven sessions in the first Test of the series against the West Indies at Lord's. With the second Test less than a week a way, here's what we learnt from the first.
Atkinson shines with record figures
In a Test match which was all about James Anderson, Gus Atkinson stole some of the limelight with the best figures for an England Test debutant since 1890. His seven wickets in the first innings were only second to Dominic Cork on England debut, and a five-for in the second made him only the sixth player in history to take 12 wickets or more on men's Test debut. Atkinson steaming in at one end was refreshing. He balanced pace and skill, producing yorkers, bouncers as well threatening the outside edge to outline the potential which saw him fast-tracked to international standing last year. It should be noted that, while Atkinson was excellent, he will face stiffer challenges than the batting line-up in front of him at Lord's. But, as far as entries to the Test arena go, his will be remember as one of the best there's ever been.
Smith shows he's up to the hype
Having overtaken both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes in the England glove ranks, Jamie Smith showed why in his debut Test innings at Lord's. Known at Surrey for being aggressive in the middle-order, none of that was on display for the first two thirds of his innings on Day Two. It took him 98 balls to reach his half century. What was shown, however, is that Smith has all the makings for success in the Test format.
England had lost two wickets in four overs before he came to the crease, and it wasn't long after that Joe Root was also sent back. None of that seemed to phase the 23-year-old, calmly constructing an innings alongside the tail. Hints of his true nature burst through towards the end of the innings. He walloped sixes off Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, the latter going almost out of the ground as he upped the ante. No magical three figures, but plenty that will make Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum pleased with their choice, including a clean sheet behind the stumps.
Stokes balances the XI once more
Stokes has been clear in his prioritisation of Test cricket over the last six months. He opted out of the T20 World Cup to prioritise being able to bowl over the summer, having also missed the IPL after undergoing knee surgery earlier in the year. The results while taking the ball for Durham in the Championship were promising, but seeing him run in at Lord's, seemingly as pain-free as he's ever been, injected another boost into England's new chapter. Stokes became the third member of the club to have scored 6,000 Test runs and taken 200 wickets during the Test, another indication of just how rare having the luxury of a player like Stokes, a genuine allrounder, is.
West Indies batting frailities confirmed
There are very few ways to dress up the vulnerability of the West Indies batting lineup as anything other than inexperienced and under-prepared going into this series. There were 17 Tests between Nos. 2-5 going into the game, with Mikyle Louis on debut and, while there were a few jaffas in there, loose shots crept in as the pressure ramped up. Even Jason Holder, the experienced ex-captain, playing his first Test match for almost a year was undone first ball by a delivery from Atkinson that didn't really move, and fell to a short ball in the second innings. It's yet more evidence of the systemic issues at play, away from the brief relief of the history created earlier in the year at the Gabba.
Pace difference hampered by preparation
Almost the entirety of the West Indies' hopes of springing an upset in the series fell on the shoulders of their pace attack. Despite Kemar Roach's late injury, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales and the return of Holder gave hopes of a high quality, if inexperienced, pace attack. However, against England's batting attack they were inneffective. Joseph in particular appeared undercooked, going down with an injury on Day Two, and having played only five professional matches, all of them T20s, since his Gabba heroics in January. Alzarri Joseph was expensive, while Seales looked the pick of the lot having spent the first half of the summer playing for Sussex. The bright point was left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who produced two stunners to get rid of Stokes and Root.
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