England pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue found an unusual way to remember a special day at Headingley. They split the match ball in half after both took five wickets against Pakistan on Wednesday.
Robinson and Tongue took all 10 wickets between them as Pakistan were bowled out for 171 on the opening day of the first Test.
Robinson struck with the first ball of the match and went on to take 5 for 51. He removed four of Pakistan’s top order batters.
Tongue then continued England’s strong bowling display and finished with 5 for 46.
A bowler usually keeps the match ball after taking five wickets in a Test innings. But both England pacers had earned that right.
They decided to share the memory instead.
Robinson said Tongue suggested splitting the ball while they were walking off the field. They then asked a member of the ground staff to cut it in half.
“As we were walking off Tonguey said, ‘I think we should split it’. I was like, ‘yeah, we should actually do that, I think it’d be quite cool’,” Robinson said.
“I said ‘do you reckon they’ll be able to do it?’ and within five minutes they brought it back up and it was done.”
Robinson said the unusual souvenir would remind them of an achievement that does not happen often.
“It’s one of those things that you don’t really have too many halves of….half a cricket ball. It’s something we’ll never forget really and it’s not too often two guys get five in the same innings, so it’s a nice gesture and something to remember.”
Robinson and Tongue became the first England pair in 20 years to take five wickets each in the same Test innings.
The performance also marked a strong return for Robinson after a difficult period.
He took a career best seven wicket haul against New Zealand in June after spending more than two years away from the England side. A knee problem then ruled him out of the second Test before he missed the final match of that series.
“It was frustrating not to be able to play at the Oval, it was just a bit of a freak training injury and then I was available for Trent Bridge but not selected,” Robinson said.
“I was ready to go but I suppose that’s part of professional sport, isn’t it? I’ve just worked really hard on a bit more fitness and a bit more skill, so it’s nice when it comes off on days like today.”
The performance came just days after Robinson became a father for the second time.
“We had the newborn last Thursday at 2:00 am so I’ve been catching up on my sleep since I got to the hotel in Leeds,” he said.
“But it was a really special week last week having another baby and it almost makes today even sweeter.”
England also made a strong start with the bat. They reached 112 for 2 at stumps and trailed Pakistan by only 59 runs.
Joe Root finished the day unbeaten on 37 in his first Test since returning as England’s full time captain following Ben Stokes’ retirement.
