Atkinson’s sparkling 118 helped take England to 427 all out in their first innings after Joe Root had made a masterful 143 on Thursday to equal the England record of 33 Test hundreds held by Alastair Cook.
Sri Lanka then collapsed to 87-6 on the second day.
But Kamindu Mendis, fresh from a fine 113 in Sri Lanka’s five-wicket loss in the first Test at Old Trafford, made an admirable 74 to prevent complete humiliation before he was last man out in a total of 196.
All of England’s pace attack took two wickets each, Matthew Potts returning figures of 2-19 in 11 overs and Chris Woakes 2-21 in 13.
Sri Lanka were 231 runs behind but stand-in England captain Ollie Pope did not enforce the follow-on, with the hosts 25-1 in their second innings at stumps – an overall lead of 256 as they looked to go 2-0 up in a three-match series.
Ben Duckett was 15* with Pope, having managed just three single figure scores since replacing the injured Ben Stokes as skipper, two not out after deciding against shielding himself from the new ball with a nightwatchman.
But the day belonged to Atkinson as he cemented his love affair with Lord’s.
The 26-year-old, whose previous highest first-class score was 91 for Surrey against a Sri Lanka Development XI in 2022, only made his Test debut against the West Indies, also at Lord’s, last month.
Atkinson marked that occasion with 12 wickets (7-45 and 5-61) to etch his name on the famed Lord’s dressing room honours boards reserved for bowlers who take five or more wickets in a Test innings and 10 or more in a match.
Few would have backed Atkinson to get on the equivalent honours board recognising those who score Test hundreds at the Home of Cricket – a feat that proved beyond such star batsmen as India’s Sachin Tendulkar, the West Indies’ Brian Lara and Australia’s Ricky Ponting.
Atkinson was 74* overnight in a Thursday stumps total of 358-7.
The No 8 carried on from where he left off, hitting two fours off Friday’s first two balls, as he leg-glanced and cover-drove paceman Lahiru Kumara leg-glanced for a pair of textbook boundaries.
But to the third he was given out lbw, only for Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s decision to be reversed by a review indicating the ball would have missed leg stump.
Atkinson went to his century in storybook fashion, driving Kumara down the ground into the pavilion for another four – his 11th in a century completed in just 103 balls and also featuring four sixes.
? June 2024 – Never played Test cricket
? August 2024 – Has his name on both sides of the Lord’s honours board
Gus Atkinson is some cricketer ? pic.twitter.com/XHQtynVcca
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 30, 2024
A spectacular innings came to a spectacular end when Atkinson mistimed a pull off an Asitha Fernando bouncer and was brilliantly caught by a diving Milan Rathnayake as he launched himself towards the rope.
Atkinson walked off to a rousing reception, having faced just 115 balls.
Fernando ended the innings by dismissing Olly Stone to secure his place on the honours boards with a return of 5-102 in 21 overs.
Sri Lanka openers Nishan Madushka and Dimuth Karunaratne then both played on for seven before wickets continued to tumble.
But in-form left-hander Mendis, again batting curiously low in the order at No 7, hooked three sixes off recalled quick Stone, the last injuring an MCC member in the pavilion, during a 120-ball innings also featuring eight fours.
Dropped on 62 when Root floored a routine chance in the deep, the 25-year-old eventually holed out off Atkinson to round off a memorable day for the fast bowler.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images
