Pakistan Cricket Team's Ollie Robinson and Imam Tongue: Key Players in Root's Early Strugg
-
Ollie Robinson was integral for Root back then, still in his first summer as an England cricketer and ending up as the player of the match. He remains that way. The pair are the only members of that XI playing against Pakistan this week, with Root back in Leeds to herald a new era. Robinson might not have been loved by the previous hierarchy, leading to two years in exile, but Root clearly rates him, picking him in 10 of the seamer’s 22 Tests. Never mind that he’s operating in the 70s (mph), he’ll deliver, as the bowling average tells you. With seven quicks in his squad for this series, Root decided that Robinson would bowl the first over of his second stint as captain.
Compare 4 other versions
Sky SportsWednesday 19 August 2026 19:45, UK Joe Root's second spell as England Test captain began with his side skittling Pakistan for 171 at Headingley as Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each bagged five-wicket hauls around a lengthy rain delay and a brief fightback from the tourists.
BBC SportThis content is not available in your location. There was an error Ollie Robinson gives England the perfect start on the opening morning of the first Test against Pakistan by trapping Azan Awais lbw with the first ball of the day at Headingley. FOLLOW LIVE: England v Pakistan - Day One
Yahoo SportsBoth losses came in the run of one win in 17 Tests at the end of Root's tenure. With an immaculate 5-51 here – accurate and relentless as Tongue and Atkinson took time to locate their rhythm and Archer never found it – Robinson proved just how crucial he will be to Root and this team's rebirth.
ESPNcricinfoRobinson, Tongue share ten as England dominate opening day Pakistan blown away for 171 before England's batters start strongly at Headingley
-
Summary Pakistan in England 1st Test / Day 1 of 5 / Leeds Pakistan are 0 for 0
-
One of Robinson’s victims here was a touch unfortunate, with Saud Shakeel too late in reviewing an lbw shown to be going over the stumps. But figures of five for 51 from 18 overs were no less deserved, while an afternoon spell of eight overs, two for 17, was also a positive as regards his fitness and old ball prowess.
Compare 2 other versions
Sky SportsThe away side lost their final eight wickets for 74 and last five for 21, with the clatter including Robinson bowling Shafique with a beauty that jagged in prodigiously and the same bowler pinning Saud Shakeel (5) lbw after the batter took two long to request a review that would have saved him - the ball was set to soar over leg stump.
BBC SportThe tourists are hampered by Babar's hand injury, and stand-in captain Salman said he would have batted had he won the toss. Saud Shakeel was too late calling for a review when given lbw to Robinson, only for replays to show the ball would have gone over the stumps – one of several marginal decisions that went England's way.
-
So much comes down to Tongue’s natural angle that, allied with nip in either direction, can turn defence into a lottery. Here he snuffed out any chance of a fightback from the lower middle order, his figures of five for 46 seeing both the stand-in skipper, Salman Ali Agha, and the wicketkeeer Mohammad Rizwan pinned lbw.
Compare 1 other version
BBC SportTongue took longer to warm to his task but when he also found the correct length, he was also too much for Pakistan to handle. Tongue's 5-46 ended with a final devastating burst of 4-5 from 11 balls.
-
At six for two, Pakistan were in proper bother. This is a side who few expect to make a serious splash this summer. They sit second last in the World Test Championship table and haven’t won a series away from home since 2023. Their captain and finest batter, Babar Azam, is injured. He caused a brief stir when he emerged before the toss in full whites, cap and blazer on, but it soon turned out that it was for a picture with his opposite number and the series trophy.
Compare 1 other version
BBC SportPakistan have not won a series in this country for 30 years. There is a suspicion that little can be learned about England's fresh start because of the quality of this Pakistan team, especially a batting line-up without injured captain Babar Azam. Wednesday did little to quell that suspicion.
-
But after struggling with an ankle problem that required treatment on the field, Imam drove loosely to slip on 42 to hand Tongue his first wicket. Unlike Archer and Atkinson, Tongue did not look like a bowler coming off a diet of 20 balls per match in the Hundred but rather the Test thoroughbred he is fast becoming.
Compare 1 other version
BBC SportLike Atkinson and Archer, Tongue began like a bowler who had been playing in The Hundred for the past month. When he finally went full to draw Imam into an edge to second slip, Tongue did not look back.
6 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
-
01 Sky Sports Root is back in charge following Ben Stokes' shock international retirement in June and charged with turning around the team's fortunes after seven defeats and just one win in their last 10 games, across fixtures against India, Australia and New Zealand.
-
02 Yahoo Sports Two Yorkshiremen. Two England batters. The only two candidates when England needed to replace Ben Stokes as skipper.
-
03 BBC Sport Two Yorkshiremen. Two England batters. The only two candidates when England needed to replace Ben Stokes as skipper.
-
04 ESPNcricinfo England bowl first with all-seam attack at Headingley Root hopes seamers can exploit overheads and "a bit of top moisture" on first morning
-
05 The Guardian Sport One win in England’s last 17 Tests. Those were the numbers that greeted Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes when they took over in 2022, a reminder of just how bad things had ended under Joe Root. It was a statistic that gave the new boys permission to rip up the old order.
-
06 NDTV Sports Azan Awais Registers Forgettable First In The History of Pakistan Cricket In 1st Test vs England Azan Awais departs during England vs Pakistan Test.
Fact Corroboration
Which sources independently confirm the same facts. Hover a claim to see its sources, or a source to see what it corroborates.
Coverage by Region
Source Similarity
Connections show how similarly each outlet covered this story. Thicker lines = more similar framing.
Sources (6)
- ndtv-sports
- bbc-sport
- espncricinfo
- skysports
- guardian-sport
- yahoosports