Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue Lead England to Crushing Victory
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue produced outstanding bowling performances as England demolished Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs inside three days in the first Test at Headingley.
The two seamers took eight wickets apiece across the match, sharing all 10 Pakistan wickets in the first innings before striking again on day three. Robinson finished with match figures of 8-80, while Tongue returned 8-89. Robinson was named Player of the Match.
England’s victory gives them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and provides the perfect beginning to Joe Root’s second spell as permanent Test captain
Pakistan were dismissed for only 171 in their first innings. England replied with 409, building a commanding 238-run advantage, before bowling the tourists out for just 135 in their second innings
It was comprehensive in almost every department—and Robinson and Tongue deservedly emerged with the highest marks.
The Robinson-Tongue Show: A Historic Bowling Display
The story of the match was undoubtedly the performance of England’s pace duo. Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue shared all ten wickets in Pakistan’s first innings, each claiming a five-wicket haul. This was the first time two England bowlers had achieved this feat in the same Test innings since 2006
England vs Pakistan First Test Result
The scorecard tells the story of England’s dominance:
| Team | Score |
|---|---|
| Pakistan – First innings | 171 all out |
| England – First innings | 409 all out |
| Pakistan – Second innings | 135 all out |
| Result | England won by an innings and 103 runs. |
England wrapped up the contest before tea on Friday, despite weather interruptions during the match.
For Pakistan, it was a test to forget.
For England, it was precisely the response they wanted after a turbulent period that included the end of Ben Stokes’ captaincy and Brendon McCullum’s departure from his red-ball role.
Ollie Robinson – 10/10
Match figures: 8-80
Robinson could hardly have made a better start.
The Sussex seamer struck with the very first ball of the Test, trapping Azan Awais lbw and immediately putting Pakistan under pressure.
His opening-innings figures were superb:
5-51 from 18 overs.
Robinson’s success was not based on extreme pace. Instead, he repeatedly troubled Pakistan with control, seam movement, subtle variations and an awkward probing length.
Pakistan struggled to work out whether to play forward or back.
That uncertainty was exactly what Robinson wanted.
He dismissed four of Pakistan’s top five batters in the first innings as the visitors were bowled out for 171.
Then he did it again in the second innings.
Robinson took 3-29 from 11 overs, ending the match with eight wickets and earning Player of the Match.
His biggest challenge now may have little to do with skill.
It is staying fit.
Robinson had not played a Test since England’s opening match of the summer against New Zealand because of a fitness problem. His ability with the red ball has rarely been questioned; maintaining availability across an entire series has been a bigger concern.
If he can stay healthy, Headingley demonstrated exactly why England continues to value him.
Rating: 10/10
Josh Tongue – 10/10
Match figures: 8-89
It is difficult to separate Tongue from Robinson.
So there is little reason to try.
Tongue also took five wickets in Pakistan’s first innings, finishing with:
5-46 from just 9.1 overs.
Robinson caused the early damage before Tongue broke Pakistan’s 91-run third-wicket partnership and ripped through the middle and lower order.
The pair’s dominance produced one of the more unusual scenes of the Test: after both claimed first-innings five-wicket hauls, the match ball was cut in half so they could each keep part of it.
The tongue wasn’t finished.
He added another 3-43 from seven overs in Pakistan’s second innings.
That gave him eight wickets for the match—the same total as Robinson.
Former England bowler Stuart Broad was particularly impressed, describing Tongue as England’s “best and most valuable bowler” and a major weapon for the future.
That is considerable praise.
England have spent years thinking about what their pace attack will look like after the era of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
The tongue is increasingly looking like a central part of the answer.
Rating: 10/10
Joe Root – 9/10
66 runs
Joe Root could hardly have asked for a smoother return to the captaincy.
His previous spell as England captain ended in 2022. Four years later, he has returned to the permanent role—and his second era began with a victory completed inside three days.
Root contributed with the bat, scoring 66 from 112 balls as England established control.
But his captaincy was arguably more interesting.
He rotated his fast bowlers effectively and showed a willingness to remove them from the attack when they were not producing what he wanted.
His field placements also contributed directly to wickets, while he generally stayed close enough to his bowlers to communicate frequently.
Former England captain Nasser Hussain praised the maturity Root showed on his return to leadership.
One comfortable Test victory does not answer every question about Root’s second captaincy.
But as first days back at the office go, this was pretty close to ideal.
Rating: 9/10
Harry Brook – 9/10
91 from 93 balls
Harry Brook missed out on a Headingley century, but his 91 was arguably England’s most impressive batting performance.
The interesting part wasn’t simply how quickly he scored.
Brook has always been capable of rapid scoring.
It was the control.
He scored 91 from only 93 deliveries without turning the innings into a reckless assault. Sky Sports noted that Brook showed greater maturity, something particularly relevant after he was overlooked for the captaincy and appointed Root’s deputy.
Brook had some fortune early in his innings but took advantage.
He then punished Pakistan’s bowlers and helped push England towards a first-innings total that effectively removed any realistic route back into the match for the tourists.
Falling nine short of a century at his home ground will sting.
The innings itself shouldn’t.
Rating: 9/10
Jordan Cox – 8.5/10
73 from 100 balls
Jordan Cox was given an opportunity at No. 3 because Jacob Bethell was unavailable with a knee injury.
He used it.
Cox scored an authoritative 73 from 100 deliveries, looking increasingly comfortable as his innings developed.
He also contributed in the field on day three, taking two slip catches.
One was particularly impressive after the ball deflected upwards off wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
The intriguing question is what happens when Bethell returns.
Cox may currently be viewed as a temporary solution at No. 3, but performances like this make selection considerably more complicated.
That is exactly what a replacement player should do.
Rating: 8.5/10
Dan Lawrence – 8/10
51 from 79 balls
Replacing Ben Stokes is an impossible assignment if the expectation is finding another player who provides exactly the same combination of batting, bowling and leadership.
Dan Lawrence didn’t try.
Instead, he made a valuable contribution of his own.
His 51 from 79 balls, including nine fours, helped England extend their advantage and maintain pressure on Pakistan.
Lawrence bowled only one over during Pakistan’s second innings because England’s seamers were so dominant.
His bowling may become more important later in the series.
For now, England will be perfectly happy with a half-century.
Rating: 8/10
Jofra Archer – 7/10
Match figures: 3-76 | 23 not out
Archer’s Test began quietly.
He went wicketless in Pakistan’s first innings, conceding 26 runs from nine overs, and Root removed him from the attack after an ineffective early spell.
Day three was different.
Archer found greater rhythm and dismissed both Pakistan openers as the tourists’ second innings immediately began to unravel.
He finished with 3-50 from 10.3 overs, including the final wicket of Mohammad Abbas.
He also contributed an unbeaten 23 with the bat and hit the only six of the match.
England will be encouraged by how much sharper he looked as the Test progressed.
Rating: 7/10
Jamie Smith – 6/10
Jamie Smith’s contribution was mixed.
His wicketkeeping was excellent, and that matters enormously when four seamers are constantly moving the ball.
His batting was less convincing.
Smith made 25 before giving away his wicket with a tame shot to midwicket.
It did not matter to the result.
But Jordan Cox’s impressive performance creates an interesting longer-term subplot because Cox is also capable of keeping wicket.
Smith remains in possession of the gloves.
He will want more runs to make sure it stays that way.
Rating: 6/10
Emilio Gay – 6/10
33 from 31 balls
Emilio Gay came into Headingley after making a pair in a warm-up game.
A confident 33 from 31 balls was therefore useful.
He struck several attractive boundaries before edging behind.
There is still some vulnerability against deliveries angled across him, but Gay has shown enough early in his Test career to suggest there is considerably more to come.
Rating: 6/10
Gus Atkinson – 5/10
Match figures: 1-51
Atkinson was probably the quietest member of England’s pace attack.
He finished Pakistan’s first innings wicketless with 0-40 from 12 overs before improving to take 1-11 from eight overs in the second.
His wicket was a useful one, bowling Mohammad Rizwan as England closed in on victory.
Atkinson had recently been playing considerable white-ball cricket, and his lack of immediate red-ball rhythm was understandable.
With Robinson and Tongue taking 16 wickets between them, England hardly needed Atkinson to produce a match-winning spell.
Rating: 5/10
Ben Duckett – 4/10
15 from 28 balls
Ben Duckett receives England’s lowest rating, although he never got the opportunity to repair it.
He made only 15 from 28 deliveries in England’s first innings.
Pakistan’s inability to force England to bat again meant that was Duckett’s only innings of the match.
One low score is hardly a crisis.
He will look for a bigger contribution at Lord’s.
Rating: 4/10
Pakistan’s First-Innings Collapse Set the Tone
England’s victory was largely built on what happened on the opening day.
Root won the toss and chose to bowl under favourable Headingley skies.
Seconds later, the decision looked inspired.
Robinson trapped Azan Awais lbw with the first delivery of the match.
Pakistan did recover through Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, who scored 42 and 61, respectively, but the resistance did not last.
Robinson and Tongue took over.
Both finished with five wickets as Pakistan were dismissed for 171.
England’s reply then transformed a strong position into a commanding one.
England’s 409 Put Pakistan Under Enormous Pressure
England did not rely on one enormous individual century.
Instead, several players contributed.
Brook made 91, Cox scored 73, Root added 66, and Lawrence contributed 51.
Together, they carried England to 409 all out.
That created a first-innings lead of 238 runs.
Pakistan therefore began their second innings knowing that simply making England bat again required a substantial improvement.
It never arrived.
Pakistan Bowled Out for 135
Archer removed Pakistan’s openers early on day three before Robinson and Tongue resumed their destruction.
Pakistan slipped from 51-2, losing four wickets for just 25 runs during another decisive collapse.
Tongue struck three times after lunch, while Robinson continued to apply pressure from the other end.
Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 135 in 37.3 overs.
No fourth day was required.
The match was over before tea.
England’s New Pace Attack Sends a Warning
Perhaps the biggest positive for England wasn’t simply winning.
It was how they won.
England have spent much of the last few years wondering how they would eventually replace the extraordinary wicket-taking output of Anderson and Broad.
Headingley offered an encouraging glimpse of a new generation.
Robinson provides accuracy and movement.
Tongue offers pace, bounce and an ability to break partnerships.
Archer provides something completely different when fully fit.
Atkinson gives Root another high-quality seam option.
Together, England’s four seamers took all 20 Pakistan wickets.
Robinson and Tongue were comfortably the headline performers, but the variety of Root’s attack may be just as significant over an entire series.
A Perfect Start to Joe Root’s Second Captaincy Era
The context makes the victory particularly significant.
England entered the Pakistan series following a substantial change in their test setup.
Root has returned to the captaincy, while Stephen Fleming is due to become England’s full-time Test coach after the Pakistan series. Fleming was already in regular contact with Root during the Headingley match.
England therefore needed stability.
Instead, they got something better: an innings victory.
There will be tougher tests ahead.
Pakistan can certainly improve, particularly if injured captain Babar Azam is able to return.
But Root could hardly have designed a better opening result.
What Does Pakistan Need to Fix?
Pakistan’s biggest concern is obvious.
They need runs.
Scores of 171 and 135 are unlikely to win a Test anywhere, particularly against an England attack comfortable in home conditions.
Their batters need to find a better method against Robinson’s relentless accuracy and Tongue’s more aggressive pace.
Pakistan will also need their bowlers to create more pressure.
England had four players pass fifty, allowing the hosts to build a 238-run advantage without anyone reaching three figures.
That demonstrates how consistently Pakistan struggled to control the innings.
The second Test will tell us whether Headingley was simply a bad three days or evidence of a much bigger gap between the teams.
When Is the Second England vs Pakistan Test?
The second Test will be played at Lord’s from 27 to 31 August, with the first ball scheduled for 11am UK time.
The third and final Test follows at Edgbaston from 9-13 September.
England head to Lord’s with a 1-0 series lead and considerable momentum.
Pakistan has only a few days to find answers.
Conclusion
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue could hardly have done more to earn top marks at Headingley.
Both finished with eight wickets, having each claimed a five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s first innings. Robinson’s match figures of 8-80 earned him Player of the Match, while Tongue’s 8-89 further strengthened his growing reputation within England’s attack.
Harry Brook’s mature 91, Jordan Cox’s impressive 73 and Joe Root’s 66 ensured England backed up their bowlers with enough runs to establish a massive advantage.
Pakistan never recovered.
England won by an innings and 103 runs inside three days, giving Root a perfect beginning to his second spell as permanent Test captain.
One victory does not define a new era.
But if Robinson and Tongue can stay fit and continue producing performances like this, England suddenly have a pace attack that looks capable of making Root’s second captaincy chapter considerably more enjoyable than his first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the England vs Pakistan first Test?
England beat Pakistan by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley, completing victory inside three days.
How many wickets did Ollie Robinson take?
Robinson took eight wickets, finishing with 5-51 in Pakistan’s first innings and 3-29 in the second.
How many wickets did Josh Tongue take?
Tongue also claimed eight wickets, with figures of 5-46 and 3-43.
Who was Player of the Match?
Ollie Robinson was named Player of the Match after his eight-wicket performance
