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England Bowlers Split Match Ball After Dual Five-Wicket Hauls Against Pakistan

morning · · thread: Joe Root returns as England Test captain

3 sources across 3 countries · India · Taiwan · United Kingdom

Who reported this

  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • Taipei Times Taiwan · Centre-left · Liberty Times Group
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter

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England seamers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue decided to cut the match ball in half so they could both keep a souvenir after each claiming a five-wicket haul in the same innings. The incident occurred during the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday. Robinson finished with figures of five for 51, while Tongue took five for 46. Their combined efforts bowled out Pakistan for 171 runs within 49 overs. England reached 112 for two by the close of the first day.

Robinson and Tongue are the first English pair to achieve five-wicket hauls in the same Test innings since Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar did so against Pakistan in 2006. The players coordinated with team manager Wayne Bentley and the groundstaff to saw the Dukes ball in half. Robinson described the resolution as something they would never forget.

The match marks the start of Joe Root's second stint as England's full-time Test captain following the retirement of Ben Stokes. For Robinson, the performance followed a period of absence from the team due to fitness concerns. He also noted that the success was made sweeter by the recent birth of his child last Thursday.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
This report provided additional context regarding the post-Bazball era and the transition in team leadership.
Centre
These reports focused on the sporting achievement and the novelty of the ball-splitting tradition.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.