Gus Atkinson added a superb Test hat-trick to his growing list of England achievements and admitted he was "greedy" for more after his starring role on day two of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.

The seamer bundled out the Black Caps tail to dismiss the hosts for 125 early on the second morning, with England going on to further assert their dominance in building a massive 533-run advantage by stumps.

Atkinson first flattened Nathan Smith's middle stump via an inside edge, had Matt Henry fending a short ball to gully, and then made history with the 15th Test hat-trick for England as he pinned Tim Southee lbw.

It continues the 26-year-old's remarkable start to his Test career which has seen him take seven-for as part of a 12-wicket haul on debut against the West Indies at Lord's, as well as smash a maiden first-class hundred at the same ground against Sri Lanka later in the summer.

"I wasn't thinking too much at all about a hat-trick - as a bowler you think about five-fors, 10-fors, that sort of thing - but there's not many chances when you're on two wickets from two balls," he said afterwards.

"I felt pretty confident as I was running in for that third ball that I had a good chance of getting it. You always want to get more and be greedy. You want to take as many as you can and that's something I want to try and do in the future.

"It's been a great year for me personally and hopefully I can get a few more milestones to help the team."

Atkinson's is the 50th Test hat-trick in world cricket - 47 in the men's game and three in the women's - with the last player to take one being South Africa's Keshav Maharaj in 2021, while Moeen Ali was the most recent England player to do so, against the Proteas at The Oval in 2017.

Stuart Broad took two in his career, making Atkinson the 14th England player on the list. Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom are the only other two England players this century to claim a Test hat-trick.

But despite the rarity of his latest triumph, Atkinson still holds his unexpected hundred dearest of his Test triumphs so far.

Asked which was harder to achieve, he swiftly answered: "The hundred, definitely."

The delivery which secured Atkinson his hat-trick was particularly eye-catching. With the field set back for the short ball, Southee had no answer to a surprise, full, fast and straight ball from the bowler that smashed into his front pad.

"I fully went for the bluff," Atkinson admitted.

"I was just thinking about bowling a yorker, getting it full and straight, go for the stumps.

"There was no discussion over what ball I was bowling. It was just 'be greedy, try and get the hat-trick', basically."

England were certainly greedy on day two at the Basin Reserve, with Atkinson's 4-31 and Brydon Carse's 4-46 securing the visitors a 155-run first-innings lead before they stretched that to a massive 533 by stumps.

Jacob Bethell (96), Ben Duckett (92), Joe Root (73no) and Harry Brook (55) all hit half-centuries as England closed on 378-5, eyeing an overnight declaration or one early on day three as they cruise towards a series-clinching victory in the second Test.

The only disappointment from the day's play will be the dismissals of both Duckett and Bethell in the nineties, the latter denied a maiden first-class ton, let alone a first in Tests, when falling four runs shy of the landmark.

Sky Sports' Ian Ward has been hugely impressed by what he's seen from the 21-year-old so far in his first two Tests, likening him to Australian great Ricky Ponting.

"It's a small sample size, but he just looks to the manor born at number three," Ward said.

"The question we were all asking when he was first selected was 'why are England batting him there in a Test match when he has never played there before?' The question we really should have been asking is 'why has he not been playing there for his county Warwickshire?'

"He just looks fantastically set up, temperamentally as much as anything.

"I always thought Ricky Ponting was the ideal number three, someone who could absorb pressure and then put pressure back onto the bowler, and Bethell - again, small sample size - seems to be able to do that.

"It was just a shame he could get three figures. For the first time he looked a little nervous when that big carrot was put in front of him."