England vs Pakistan 1st Test: Robinson, Tongue take 5 wickets each as host dominates on Day 1

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.

After Pakistan collapsed from 117-3 to 171 all out, England made inroads in the evening session Thursday to reach the close on 112-2 and was trailing by just 59 runs.

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.

Off the first ball of the three-match series, Robinson pinned Azan Awais with a delivery that nipped back from around the wicket. In his third over, Robinson went over the wicket and trapped Shan Masood (5) trying to drive and Pakistan was 6-2.

Following a two-hour rain delay and a 91-run partnership for the third wicket between Imam-ul-Haq (42) and Abdullah Shafique (61), Robinson and Tongue ran through the Pakistan batters and had figures of 5-51 and 5-46, respectively.

Asked which of the bowlers was keeping the match ball, Tongue revealed after the close of play that it was being shared — literally.

“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. “It’s crazy — it’s the first time I’ve seen that happen.”

Robinson’s dramatic return

For Robinson, it was another dramatic return. 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.

“They bowled very well, we have to give credit to the England bowlers. They were decent with their length and they were hitting the right spots,” Imam said.

“Obviously we have to work hard now but I always believe that it’s a long game… things change very quickly. Get two wickets and the game’s going to change.”

Root in good form

In England’s reply, Mohammad Abbas trapped Ben Duckett for 15 and Emilio Gay departed for 33, nicking Mohammad Ali to second slip, but Root and Cox settled the home side.

Root, in particular, looked in prime form and has already hit six fours in his 53-ball knock early in his chase for a 42nd Test century.

Pakistan, which hasn’t won a Test series in England since 1996, had Salman Agha deputising as skipper with Babar not recovering from a finger injury.

Dan Lawrence — a batter but also a spin option — was in at No. 6 for England in his first Test in two years.

Robinson makes history with first-ball wicket

According to the BBC, 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.

It has only previously happened 11 times in the history of Test cricket. Jimmy Anderson was the other English player to do it, when he removed Dean Elgar in a series in South Africa in 2019-20.