England’s Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson pulled off something truly wild at Headingley, each snaring five-wicket hauls against Pakistan on day one of the first Test, and then literally cut the match ball in half to celebrate. Yeah, you read that right. Instead of flipping a coin or arm wrestling for it, these guys made history by splitting the rock that helped them tear through the Pakistan lineup.
The Match Ball Ritual Just Got an Insane Upgrade
Bowlers usually pocket the match ball after a five-wicket haul, just like a footballer takes home the match ball for a hat-trick. But when two bowlers bag five apiece in the same innings? That’s when things get interesting. Tongue and Robinson came up with the solution themselves. “Robbo said we can split the ball in half,” Tongue told Test Match Special, “The groundstaff have kindly done that. It’s the first time I’ve seen that happen. I’m sure I’ll be putting that up somewhere.” Robinson, showing off his half later, added, “Josh said it and I said: ‘We actually should do that, it would be quite cool.’ You don’t really have too many halves of a cricket ball, so it would be something that we never forget.” Team manager Wayne Bentley even took it to the groundstaff, and it was back in five minutes, perfectly halved. That’s a legend move, plain and simple.
These two absolute studs, Tongue with 5-46 and Robinson with 5-51, absolutely skittled Pakistan for 171 after England won the toss. It’s the first time an England pair has registered five-wicket hauls in the same Test innings since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar did it against Pakistan back in 2006. They even led England off the field hand in hand after that performance. Talk about a partnership!
Robinson’s Unstoppable Comeback Tour Continues
For Robinson, this dominant performance at the start of the Test series is even sweeter after a massive week off the field. He and his wife, Mia, just welcomed their first child, baby Eva, last Thursday. “It’s a really special week having another baby. It almost makes today even sweeter, when you leave them after the birth and you put a performance in. It meant a lot today to do that,” Robinson shared, saying he was thinking of them the whole time.
This guy’s comeback has been something else. He was out of the England team for more than two years due to fitness concerns, but since his recall at the start of the summer, he’s been on fire. He bagged seven wickets, including a five-for, against New Zealand at Lord’s on his return. Now, with his fifth five-for in Test cricket, Robinson boasts an incredible 88 Test wickets at an average of 21.25. Get this: no England seamer since 1914 has taken that many wickets with a better average. He’s learning a lot about himself, he says, and while he might not feel like he’s in perfect rhythm yet, he’s playing lights out. If he stays fit, imagine what happens when that rhythm clicks!
As the home side closed out day one at 112-2, they’re set up strong to keep the pressure on Pakistan. You know Tongue and Robinson are fired up for day two, looking to build on those incredible performances and keep that momentum rolling in this first Test.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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