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England pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue shared an unusual piece of cricket memorabilia after taking five wickets apiece on the opening day of the Leeds Test against Pakistan, with the pair having the match ball cut cleanly in half so both could keep a piece.
According to the ICC website, it marked the first instance since 2006 of two England bowlers claiming five-wicket hauls in the same innings, with Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue agreeing to split the match ball between them as a memento. Robinson said he and Tongue decided to split the match ball as a memorable keepsake, noting that two bowlers taking five-wicket hauls in the same innings is rare and having half a ball each would make for a unique memento. "We were walking off and I was like, to Tonguey, I think we should split it. He said it and I said, I think we should do that, it'd be quite cool. It's one of those things, you don't have too many half-of-cricket-balls, so it would be something we never forget. It's not very often two guys get five-for in the same innings, so a nice gesture and something to remember," the ICC website quoted Robinson as saying. Coming to Day 1 of the England vs Pakistan Test, the Three Lions seized control, dismissing Pakistan for 171 before reaching 112/2 at stumps. The day belonged to England's pace attack, with Robinson and Tongue claiming five wickets apiece to share all 10 Pakistan wickets. After England opted to bowl at Headingley, Robinson struck with the very first delivery, removing opener Azan Awais for a golden duck. He then trapped Pakistan captain Shan Masood leg-before for 5, leaving the visitors struggling at 6/2. Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq steadied Pakistan's innings with a 91-run third-wicket partnership. However, Tongue broke the stand by dismissing Imam for 42. Robinson then returned to remove Saud Shakeel for 5 and Shafique for 61, while Tongue dismantled the lower order by dismissing Salman Agha for 21, Ali Usman for a golden duck and Mohammad Rizwan for 12. Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 171 in 48.1 overs, with Robinson finishing with 5/51 and Tongue claiming 5/46. England's opening combination of Ben Duckett and Emilio Gay provided a positive start, putting on 36 runs in nine overs before Pakistan fought back through Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Ali. The hosts slipped to 48/2, but Root and Cox combined effectively to put England back in control. The pair added an unbeaten 64 runs, with Root on 37 and Cox on 23 at the close of play. (ANI)
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