Robinson and Tongue split match ball after Pakistan bowled out for 171 at Headingley
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue split the match ball in half at Headingley after England bowled Pakistan out for 171 on the opening day of the first Test, with Robinson taking 5/51 and Tongue 5/46.
The twin five-wicket hauls made Robinson and Tongue only the second England pair in 20 years to claim five wickets apiece in the same Test innings, the first since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006. England's bowlers dismissed Pakistan inside 49 overs, the visitors losing their final eight wickets for 74 runs.
Speaking to Test Match Special about the divided souvenir, Tongue said: "Robbo said we can split the ball in half," and added, "The groundstaff have kindly done that." Robinson later showed his half to reporters and said: "Josh said it and I said we actually should do that, it would be quite cool." He also said, "You don't really have too many halves of a cricket ball, so it would be something that we never forget." England team manager Wayne Bentley then took the ball to the groundstaff, who cut it in half and returned it within five minutes.
Robinson struck with the first delivery of the Test to remove Azan Awais and soon added Shan Masood, while Tongue worked through Pakistan's middle and lower order as the innings collapsed. Pakistan were bowled out inside 49 overs after losing their last eight wickets for 74 runs.
The five-wicket haul was Robinson's fifth in Test cricket and continued an encouraging return after more than two years away from the England side; he was recalled earlier this summer and took seven wickets against New Zealand at Lord's, including another five-for. He now has 88 Test wickets at an average of 21.25. On his fitness he said: "At the moment I probably feel as good as I've ever felt," and added, "I'm probably not in as good a rhythm as I would like." The performance also came during a significant week for Robinson, who recently welcomed his daughter Eva with his wife Mia, a milestone he said made the five-wicket haul particularly meaningful.
Their bowling figures also helped Joe Root make a strong start to his second stint as England Test captain. In reply England reached 112/2 by stumps, leaving them 59 runs behind Pakistan's first-innings score.
