Robinson and Tongue Split the Match Ball After Twin Five-Fors at Headingley

England seamers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each took five wickets on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley — then asked the groundstaff to cut the match ball in half so they could both keep a memento.

Robinson finished with 5-51 and Tongue with 5-46 as Pakistan were bowled out for 171. It was the first time two England bowlers had taken five-wicket hauls (five wickets in a single innings, a feat known as a five-for) in the same Test innings since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar did so against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006 — a gap of 20 years.

The matter of who gets to keep the ball could have been awkward. Josh Tongue personally approached a Headingley groundsman and asked if the ball could be split in two. Team manager Wayne Bentley carried it to the groundstaff, who cut it cleanly in half with a saw. Tongue later said it was the first time he had seen anything like it.

The bowling heroics came on a day that also marked Joe Root's return as England Test captain for a second stint. Root, who previously led the side from 2017 to 2022, was back in charge as England opted to field first after winning the toss.

Tongue set the tone before tea, taking two wickets in two consecutive balls — a near-miss on what would have been a hat-trick. Robinson then ran through the lower order to complete his own five-for and wrap up the Pakistan innings.

By the close of play, England had reached 112-2, trailing by 59 runs. Root and Cox were the unbeaten batters steering England to stumps, giving the home side a solid platform going into day two.

For fans, the split ball captures something cricket does better than most sports: it honours its own quirks. A Test match lasts up to five days, and the red ball used in the longer format becomes a record of every over bowled — every seam knocked, every scuff earned. Two bowlers sharing one ball between them turns a piece of equipment into a story neither will forget.