With the first Test at Lord\u2019s against New Zealand scheduled to begin in early June, England have received a timely fitness boost after a serious-looking incident in county cricket. Fast bowler Gus Atkinson was struck on the head twice during a Surrey vs Nottinghamshire match, with the second blow described as especially uncomfortable, prompting immediate concussion concerns and a reshuffle in the Surrey XI.<\/p>\n
The incident came during Atkinson\u2019s time at Surrey, where he faced fellow England pacer Josh Tongue. Tongue hit Atkinson on the head twice, and after the second contact, Atkinson was removed from the field. Surrey then brought in Reece Topley, who has featured for England in multiple limited-overs formats.<\/p>\n
Despite the early alarm, Atkinson initially chose to carry on with his innings after both impacts. However, once the situation was reassessed, the decision was made for him to step off the field. At the moment he left, he was on 27.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath, Surrey coach Gareth Batty provided an encouraging update, suggesting that Atkinson had passed the relevant checks and that the precautionary removal was driven by duty of care rather than any indication of a serious outcome.<\/p>\n
England will be grateful for the reassurance as they consider their bowling options for the opener against New Zealand. The broader fast-bowling landscape remains challenging, with several names carrying fitness or availability concerns.<\/p>\n
The England camp will be particularly relieved that nothing more severe resulted from those two blows, given the potential impact on a key part of their bowling unit.<\/p>\n
Atkinson\u2019s Test involvement earlier this year came during England\u2019s Ashes campaign, which they lost 4-1. He appeared in three Tests, but struggled to make a significant impact with the ball.<\/p>\n
In terms of his fitness history, Atkinson picked up a hamstring problem during the fourth Ashes Test and subsequently missed the final match in Sydney. He also did not play in the third Test.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the first Test at Lord\u2019s against New Zealand scheduled to begin in early June, England have received a timely fitness boost after a serious-looking…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Surrey vs Notts: Gus Atkinson concussion scare in IPL news","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Surrey vs Notts update: Gus Atkinson takes two blows to the head, concussion checks underway, and England\u2019s Test plans at Lord\u2019s get a fitness twist.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n