'I felt it' - Atkinson takes 'special' Test hat-trick

Gus Atkinson became the 14th different men's bowler to take a Test hat-trick for England

Gus Atkinson took the 15th Test hat-trick by an England men's bowler to rattle through the New Zealand tail on the second day of the second Test in Wellington.

Pace bowler Atkinson bowled Nathan Smith off an attempted leave, had Matt Henry fend to gully, then trapped last man Tim Southee lbw.

It continued an astonishing first year in Test cricket for the 26-year-old, who took 12 wickets on his debut against West Indies at Lord's in July.

He followed up with a century and a five-wicket haul at the same venue against Sri Lanka in August.

Atkinson's burst wrapped up the New Zealand innings for 125 and left them 155 runs behind England's 280.

It was the first hat-trick by an England bowler in Test cricket since Moeen Ali against South Africa at The Oval in 2017 and the first in an away Test since Ryan Sidebottom against New Zealand in Hamilton 16 years ago.

Overall, Atkinson became the 14th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick - Stuart Broad has two.

"The hat-trick ball I was running up thinking 'I'm getting a wicket this ball, I'm getting a wicket this ball' - I did feel it," Atkinson told BBC Sport.

"I haven't really thought about a hat-trick too much before. You want to play to get five-fors as a bowler, you don't think about hat-tricks as much, but getting a hat-trick is special, it's definitely more rare than a five-for.

"I took one for school, probably 2015. It was a good hat-trick, but I think this one tops it."

In all Test cricket, Atkinson's is the first hat-trick since South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj's against West Indies in 2021.

Atkinson's three wickets in three balls is also the first hat-trick taken at the historic Basin Reserve.

New Zealand resumed on 86-5, 194 adrift. Brydon Carse needed only 10 balls of his spell to take Tom Blundell's off stump and, in the same over, nightwatchman Will O'Rourke was plumb lbw.

Smith and Glenn Phillips attempted a counter-attack, adding 29 in 27 balls, before Atkinson's magic moment.

Smith was looking to leave, but extra bounce had the ball ricochet off his bat and down on to middle stump.

Number 10 Henry was defenceless against a brutal lifter and Southee, with the field set for a short ball, was hit in front by one Atkinson speared in.

Atkinson joins Moeen, Broad and 19th Century spinner Johnny Briggs as the England players to achieve a Test century and a hat-trick.

Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, Harbhajan Singh, James Franklin, Irfan Pathan and Sohan Gazi have also done that double.

"It's been a very special year," added Atkinson.

"Obviously the hundred [at Lord's against Sri Lanka] was special. I'd probably rank that up there at the top, not something I really expected at the start of the year, but it's all been very special.

"I'm just looking forward to playing as much Test cricket as I can in the next few years and hopefully continuing with the form."