History made! Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue split the match ball after twin five-wicket hauls vs Pakistan

History was made during the opening Test of the three-match series between England and Pakistan at Leeds in Headingley when the two England pacers, Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue, shared twin five-wicket hauls in the first innings to bundle out the tourists for just 171 runs.  

Robinson returned with figures of 5/51 in his 18 overs, including the first-ball wicket of the game to send back Azan Awais. Meanwhile, Tongue had figures of 5/46 in 9.1 overs as the visitors lost their last seven wickets for just 54 runs on the board.

Ollie Robinson reveals how he and Josh Tongue decided to cut the match ball in half as a keepsake

Just after the end of the innings, the England management sent the ball down to the Headingley ground staff where it was split down the middle, allowing both the bowlers to keep it with them for the future.

“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.” Robinson expressed in the press conference.

“Really special week, having another baby; it almost makes today even sweeter, when you leave them after they're born and you come and put a performance in, it meant a lot to do that. I know they're not here; they're at home, but I was thinking of them the whole time.” He addressed.

See Also: Watch: Pakistan lose Azan Awais on the very first ball of ENG vs PAK 1st Test

On the BBC Test match special, Tongue gave credit to the senior pacer for the unique idea. He also thanked the groundsmen for doing them the favour.

“Robbo said we can split the ball in half. The ground staff has kindly done that. It's the first time I've seen that happen. I'm sure I'll be putting that up somewhere.” Tongue added.

Robinson and Tongue become the first England pair in 20 years to take five-wicket hauls in the same innings.

It was the 16th time that two England bowlers have taken five-wicket hauls in the same innings in the men’s Tests, with the last coming in 2006 when Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar did the same against the Pakistan side at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Robinson, who missed the last two Tests against New Zealand, made a strong return to the longest format. He sent back the five batters, including Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Saud Shakeel, and Khurram Shahzad, apart from Awais.

See Also: Pakistan confirm dates and venues for ODI Tri-Series against England and Sri Lanka

Meanwhile, Tongue, who has slowly become a vital member of their pace attack, collected the wickets of Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Mohammad Rizwan, Ali Usman, and Mohammad Ali as England were trailing by 59 runs by the end of the opening day.

Fans hail the "class gesture" as Robinson-Tongue ball-splitting moment goes viral on social media

The fans were stunned by the special gesture of the two bowlers by splitting the five-wicket hauls as it went viral on social media platforms-