Robinson and Tongue split the match ball after twin five-wicket hauls dismantle Pakistan at Headingley

England skittled Pakistan for 171 at Headingley with opening bowlers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each claiming five-wicket hauls in the same Test innings. Robinson took 5-51 while Tongue finished with 5-46 as Pakistan's batting collapsed under sustained pressure from the England seam attack. Pakistan was bowled out in 48.1 overs, with the final eight wickets falling for just 74 runs. The performance marked a historic moment for England's seam bowling attack.

Robinson removed Azan Awais lbw from the first ball of the Test, marking the first wicket to fall to an opening delivery in England in 19 years, and also dismissed Shan Masood during his spell. Robinson's five-wicket haul was his fifth in Test cricket, adding to his tally of 88 Test wickets at an average of 21.25. The 32-year-old had recently taken seven wickets at Lord's against New Zealand in June. Tongue's breakthrough came when he removed Imam, a dismissal that triggered the collapse of Pakistan's lower order.

The ball-splitting moment

After the final wicket fell, Robinson and Tongue walked off the field together discussing who would take the match ball home as a memento. Rather than settle the matter through conventional means, the two bowlers decided to split the ball in half. England team manager Wayne Bentley took it to the ground staff, who cut through the seam within five minutes, allowing both players to keep a piece of the historic souvenir.

Tongue revealed that Robinson came up with the idea of splitting the match ball after the pair completed their five-wicket hauls. The ground staff then cut the ball into two, allowing both bowlers to keep a piece as a memento of their impressive performances.

"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 later showed his half of the ball to reporters and explained that the idea came as the two bowlers walked off the field after Pakistan were bowled out.

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"Josh said it and I said we actually should do that, it would be quite cool," Robinson said.

"You don't really have too many halves of a cricket ball, so it would be something that we never forget."

Historic pairing in England's Test cricket

Robinson and Tongue became the first England pair to each take five wickets in a single Test innings against Pakistan at Old Trafford in 2006, when Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar achieved the feat. This latest performance underlined the quality of England's seam bowling attack at Headingley.

In reply, England closed on 112-2, trailing Pakistan by 59 runs after Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay fell early. Joe Root and Jordan Cox steadied the innings as England prepared for their second innings.