England’s post-Bazball era got off to an encouraging start on a dominant Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan, with pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each taking five wickets to rip through the tourists’ batting lineup at Headingley.
Asked which of the bowlers was keeping the match ball, Tongue revealed after the close of play that it was being shared — literally. Off the first ball of the three-match series, Robinson pinned Azan Awais with a delivery that nipped back from around the wicket. “It’s crazy — it’s the first time I’ve seen that happen. For Robinson, it was another dramatic return. “They bowled very well, we have to give credit to the England bowlers.
It could hardly have gone any better for Joe Root, who was beginning his second stint as captain following the retirement of Ben Stokes and was there at stumps on 37 not out alongside Jordan Cox (23 not out) after winning the toss under an overcast sky. In his third over, Robinson went over the wicket and trapped Shan Masood (5) trying to drive and Pakistan was 6-2. He was playing his first Test since June at Lord’s, where he took a match-winning 7-77 against New Zealand in his first Test in two years. A knee injury and doubts about his fitness prevented his return in that series that England lost 2-1, leading to the retirement of Stokes and the firing of Brendon McCullum as Test coach. Pakistan, with just two wins in its last seven Tests and missing captain Babar Azam (finger injury), provided ideal opponents for the start of England’s latest reset and lost its last five wickets for 21 runs in 22 balls.
“The groundsman has kindly split the ball in half so I’m sure I’ll be able to get that mounted somewhere at home,” said Tongue, who claimed his fourth five-wicket haul in his 13th Test. They were decent with their length and they were hitting the right spots,” Imam said.
It is the first time a team has taken a wicket off the first ball of a Test series in England, which has been hosting matches since 1880, according to the BBC .