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England pacer Ollie Robinson handed his side a dream start at Headingley, etching his name into the history books on the opening day of the Test series against Pakistan. After Joe Root won the toss and opted to bowl in his first match back as full-time captain, Robinson took the new ball and immediately validated the decision. Building on his stellar form from the earlier home series against New Zealand, the right-arm fast bowler trapped opening batter Azan Awais leg-before on the very first delivery of the match—a decision that stood even after a failed review by the visitors.
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Ollie Robinson scripts history, emulates Kapil Dev's rare record
With that opening-ball strike, Robinson matched a rare individual record untouched for over four decades. He became only the second bowler in Test history to claim a Pakistani wicket on the first ball of a match, replicating a iconic feat first accomplished by Indian legend Kapil Dev in 1983, when he dismissed Mohsin Khan on ball one at Jalandhar's Gandhi Stadium.
Remarkably, Robinson’s opening-ball strike marks just the sixth time an English bowler has accomplished the feat in Test history, and only the fourth instance on home turf. In a fitting historical twist, the very first occurrence of a first-ball Test wicket in England took place a century ago at Headingley. Notably, no visiting bowler has ever managed to strike on the opening ball of a Test match played in England.
Robinson's roaring return with double strike
Robinson made an emphatic statement in his return to the national setup, tearing through Pakistan's top order following high-profile changes to the English management, which saw the departures of former skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. The fast bowler doubled down on his initial strike by removing former captain Shan Masood in his third over, instantly putting the visiting side on the defensive.
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