England pacers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue were made to undergo a one-of-a-kind sacrifice on the first day of the Test against Pakistan at Headingley in Leeds.
The English quicks ended with five-wicket hauls as they skittled out Pakistan to 171 inside 49 overs. Tongue ended with five for 46 while Robinson claimed five for 51.
This left them stuck when it came to following the age-old tradition of carrying the ball. Traditionally, the bowler picking a five-wicket haul gets to keep the match ball.
Josh Tongue holding the split ball.
| Photo Credit:
ICC Media
Josh Tongue holding the split ball.
| Photo Credit:
ICC Media
England came up with a unique solution to this problem. After the day’s play, which England ended at 112 for two, Tongue and Robinson were seen half-a-ball, bisected right through the middle across its seem.
The duo asked a member of the groundstaff to saw it in half and they obliged.
“We were walking off and I was like, [telling] to Tonguey [Josh Tongue], 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,” Robinson told England Cricket.
Published on Aug 20, 2026
