England seamers Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson carved through a fragile Pakistan batting lineup during the opening day of the Test series at Headingley in Leeds. The pair claimed five wickets apiece to dismantle the visiting team for a paltry 171 runs in 48.1 overs. This stellar performance allowed Tongue to surpass Australia exponent Mitchell Starc, making him the first bowler to record 50 scalps within the active World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
For India, the leading wicket-taker in ongoing WTC campaign is their workhorse Mohammed Siraj. Siraj went past former England captain Ben Stokes with two wickets in the Galle Test win over Sri Lanka. A Historic Souvenir After Twin Fifers Following their dual five-wicket hauls, the English squad celebrated the dismissal of the touring side with an unusual souvenir as they left the pitch, literally cutting the match ball in half. Tongue explained the origin of the quirky celebration during a post-match broadcast. ‘The groundstaff have kindly done that.’
Operating in his 10th Test of the current championship window, Tongue has accumulated 50 wickets at a bowling average of 27.18, featuring three five-wicket hauls. He currently sits ahead of Starc, who holds 58 wickets from nine matches at 19.45 apiece, with the Australian also boasting three fifers. From 10 Tests, he has bagged 41 wickets at an average of 26.68, featuring two fifers. the hosts successfully reached 112 for 2 from 25 overs before stumps on the opening day Although bowlers Abbas and Ali managed to dismiss the English openers. Jordan Cox on 23 not out and captain Joe Root on 37 not out remained at the crease, narrowing the deficit down to just 59 runs.
‘Robbo said we can split the ball in half,’ Tongue told Test Match Special.
