Sports · 19 August, 2026 · 2 min read
Robinson And Tongue Share Match Ball After Taking Five Wickets Each As England Dismiss Pakistan
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each took five wickets on opening day. They cut the match ball in half and shared it as a souvenir.
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Half-ball souvenir
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue took five wickets apiece as England dismissed Pakistan for 171 on the opening day of the first Test at Headingley, then shared a match ball they had cut in half.
“"Robbo said we can split the ball in half,"”
Robinson told Test Match Special, "Robbo said we can split the ball in half," as Tongue added that "The groundstaff have kindly done that."
The BBC said Robinson and Tongue were the first pair of England bowlers to register five-wicket hauls in the same Test innings since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006.
England reached 112-2 by the close in Leeds, with Joe Root on 37 not out alongside Jordan Cox on 23 not out, after Robinson had taken a wicket with the very first ball of the match.
Robinson said the idea came as they walked off the field, explaining, "We were walking off the field. "Josh said it and I said: 'We actually should do that, it would be quite cool.'"
Voices after the feat
Tongue credited Robinson for the plan when he spoke on BBC Test Match Special, saying, "Robbo said we can split the ball in half."
Robinson described the moment as a rare piece of cricket memorabilia, telling reporters, "You don't really have too many halves of a cricket ball, so it would be something that we never forget."
The Guardian framed the decision around the same souvenir logic, quoting Robinson as saying, "You don’t really have too many halves of cricket balls."
Sky Sports reported Tongue’s reaction to Robinson’s bowling, quoting Tongue: "Ollie Robinson was excellent," as the pair walked off holding hands after Pakistan were skittled.
Fox Sports added that Tongue finished with 5-46 in 9.1 overs and Robinson with 5-51 in 18 overs, as England began the post-Bazball era with a strong start.
What it means next
The Reuters report from Leeds said the pace-bowling duo’s five-fors created the ball-cutting dilemma, and England’s management sent the ball down to the Headingley groundstaff to be split down the middle.
“England beat Pakistan by 194 runs in four days”
AP later described how Robinson’s return continued beyond Headingley, saying England beat Pakistan by 194 runs in four days at Lord’s to seal a series win with a test to spare, after Pakistan were bowled for 194 in a chase of 389.
At Lord’s, AP said Robinson led England’s four seamers with eight wickets, 4-24 on Sunday and a staggering 8-35 in 27 overs, and he was named the player of the match for a third time in three straight tests.
Root told the BBC that "We had the worst of the conditions for most of the game" and said the team "had to work hard for it towards the back end," as England moved toward a 3-0 sweep against Pakistan from Sept. 9 in Birmingham.
AP also noted that England’s post-Bazball reset was under new captain Joe Root and interim coach Marcus Trescothick until Stephen Fleming arrives next month, with Robinson’s 99th test wicket coming in the Lord’s match.