Test Match Special - 5 a piece for Tongue & Robinson

Episode Date: August 19, 2026

Simon Mann presents reaction to the first day’s play from Headingley where England’s quicks Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson both take five-wicket hauls against Pakistan.Hear from former England captains Michael Vaughan and Sir Alastair Cook, and BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew.Plus, Josh Tongue reveals the groundsman at Headingley has split the ball in half for him and Ollie Robinson to share after their 5fers, and Imam-ul-Haq reflects on the day after an opening stand of 42 in tricky batting conditions.

You're listening to the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. So England have dominated the opening day of this test match, the opening day of the series here at Heading Me. They're on such a strong position after the first day, bowling Pakistan out for 171, and then replying with 112 for 2 of only 25 overs by the close. They've scored at four and a half runs per over. Robinson with 5 for 51, started it all off with a wist,

from the first ball of the series and Josh Tang five for 46. He was on a hat trick at one stage and then there was a break for tea and he came back and bowled. The hatrick balled 20 minutes or so later. Pakistan losing their last five wickets for 21 runs in 22 balls. Alistair Cook is here. Michael Vaughan is here. Jonathan Agnew is here. Well, if England are having a reset, Michael, that was a perfect day for them really. Yeah, yeah, it was.

I think Joe Root this morning would have arrived just a little bit nervous, but winning the toss, making a good call in terms of bowling first here at Headingley. I think it was quite an easy decision to make because of the moisture overnight, because of the record of recent times here at Lees. The last seven games have been won by the team chasing. Ingle had a great chase against India a year or so ago. But then they got into the work, the first ball or wicket, so everything's going great. But there was one partnership, Abdullah Shafik and Immanuel Hav. played nice. He got them to, what, 97 for two? And from there on in, I have to say, that big drive that Iman played to Josh Tong, which was a good catch by Harry Brooke,

I thought Pakistan's batting was poor, it was average at best. And England just kind of capitalised on that. I thought Robinson was the pick by a country mile. I know Josh Tongue, it hoovered up. That's what we call it, don't we? When the bowler hoover's up the tail, that's what he did. So full credit for that, but I thought Oliver Robinson was magnificent throughout the day. And I'll give a special mention, actually, Jamie Smith stood up. I thought he put on a bit of a masterclass. We praised Alex Carey throughout the winter. We praised Blundell for New Zealand. Jamie Smith was excellent, stood up. So all the work that we've seen him in the morning do with Sarah Taylor, it's paying off. And 80 miles an hour scene bowling. It works at test level if it's accurate.

I know you really like Robinson, I guess, as an ace bowler. I just think it's all the most natural bowlers I've ever seen. It just makes it look so incredibly easy. From the start of his run to the moment he's let the ball go. It's just a very easy. metronomic rhythm that he has in his run-up and he lets go the ball really high with a beautiful wrist I just think it's a fabulous bowler and yes he's he doesn't break 80 miles per hour very often but it doesn't have to his accuracy is outstanding he's developed that wobble scene ball brilliantly I mean he did it when he first came into the side didn't he I mean the only thing about

Ollie Robinson is his fitness and he just sort of gets gets these injuries isn't he? But he just bowled immaculate today. He hasn't he's hardly played for weeks. He's played a few one-day games but you wouldn't have guessed that today. So five wickets for Olly Robinson, five wickets for Josh Tung and Josh Tung joins us now. Hello to you Josh. I hope you can hear us. Yes, I can. Excellent. Okay, well that's a good start. Well, well bold. Assess that first day. Yeah, it was obviously a great day. Obviously, winning the toss this morning and putting them into bat. And I thought, obviously, getting a wicket that first ball, I thought sort of set the tone from Robbo.

Yeah, and I thought we were fairly ruthless as a bowling unit and to bowl them out. Was it a good pitch to bowl on? Yeah, it was quite nice to bowl on. It was obviously a bit in the surface, making sure you're brave of your lengths, try and more get driven rather than sort of get cut or pulled. feel like you get rewards if you're sort of tying at the stem as much as you can. And that's sort of how I got my wickets. You're known as the kind of like the hoover.

Aren't you hoovering up the wickets of the lower order? How did you see that role today? Yeah, because we've had a couple of lads of that to me in the drainage room at tea. It actually started here at Heddenley and Stokesy was doing the rabbit pie stuff. So but no, I like to sort of getting the wickets towards the back end and put the team in a good position. Who gets the match ball? Well, Robber had it to start with and then he was like, we're going to split it in a half.

So I think the groundsman's actually kindly split the ball in half. So that I'm sure will be able to get that mounted somewhere at home. The groundsmen have split the ball in half. Yeah. It's crazy. Obviously, that's the first time I've seen that happen. So yeah, I'm sure I'll be putting that up somewhere. What's it been like making the transition from playing in the 100?

You've played in the 100 final on Sunday, suddenly back into test cricket. Yeah, it's obviously, it was a quick turnaround for me and Gus. But we did a lot of work behind the scenes at Old Trafford, speaking to Troy Cooley quite a bit, making sure our bowling loads were getting up to sort of what you need in test match cricket. And yeah, it's obviously gone well today and not bowling many overs to be fair. I think I only bowled nine overs at the end.

So no, we made sure we put in the hard work behind the scenes. It's just good to put the team in a good position today. Josh, I've got a question for you. It's Jonathan Agnew here. I mean, people laugh about you, hoovering up the tail. But there's a real skill to it, isn't there? And it's a skill that actually England

haven't been very good at over the years. So how do you clean up the tail as you do? I think just keep the stumps in play as much as I can, really. Obviously, I go about myself that sort of full of length, which helps with the batters, at the top of the order as well. So I think if I just try and keep as simple as I can, and then the wickets hopefully come.

We mentioned the transition from 100 into test match cricket. What about also the transition from different regime into new regime? What's that been like over the last couple of days? Yeah, it's been classed to be back around the lads. I came up on Monday late, so I missed that training session and to have a good training session on the Tuesday, out a little bowl. But yeah, it's pretty much the same. It's very chilled and the lads were excited to get out there today under Rudy. Yeah, what's that like playing under him? How does it differ? I mean, not much, you know, not great sample side because you haven't had too much time underneath him, so to speak.

You know, you played that match at the Oval and this game here. What's what's it like? What's the difference? There's not much difference to Stokes. He was very chilled and back to 100% and Rudy's the same as well. he's sort of asking me what I want to do in terms of the field placements and stuff and here back me 100%. So yeah, I think that's an unbelievable trait as a captain and it makes you very chilled at the end of your mark

before you're going to release that ball. One final point. I mean, you're on a hat trick. Would you like to have kept on bowling? You had the break for tea? What was that like? Yeah, I didn't like the break, to be fair. I think because I was sort of on a roll. I think I wouldn't mind it to just have a couple more balls before the tea break.

But now we were happy that we got the last few wickets. Josh Tung, thank you very much indeed for joining us. 9.1 overs, 5 for 46 today. So picking up wickets after tea and before tea as well as Pakistan were bowled out for 171. Well, I've never heard about that, but you know, splitting the ball in half before. What's you'll say, it is a serious point of pulling at the tail though. I mean these two beside people know, you know, through the years, it has been that incredibly frustrating period quite often.

with watching England play and that there have been just annoying nine, ten wicket stands and just a loss of focus from the bowler in how to bowl at the tail enders. So we do kind of pull the legs of those who hover up, don't you? But it's a really important job. But it's a bit different because actually there are, the last 15 years or so,

batters have improved down the order. However, I'm looking at this batting line off of Pakistan. It feels a bit six out, all out, isn't it? nine, 10, 11, you wouldn't mind here. And to be fair, and he makes a really good point. He bowls at close to 90 mile now, and he brings the stumps into play. And you've got people who aren't that good.

You're bringing every dismissal into play. So he gets rewarded for doing the simple thing as well. There has been times where, and I was very guilty of it as well. And it is awkward, and you've got a good player at one end in the tail of the other because of the power that the players do possess now and the ability to clear the rope has changed that. It used to be my nightmare when you had everyone on the boundary. you knew it wasn't you shouldn't really do it

if you don't want to do it but you end up having to do it because of the power but when you've got tongue he creates a funny angle and brings everything into player I think if you just as you say if you keep on bringing the stumps of plate you should pick up those wickets slightly cheaper I mean to be fair to him he did get Imam alhawk

who's one of the openers and he got Salmon Ali Agar as well who came in at number six and Mohammed Rizwan who's not a bad player he's nearly 14 test cricket you got him as well so it wasn't all rabbit pie today no I think the best compliment I can give Josh John it. I don't think he was

anywhere near his best today. I thought it was a bit wayward to start. Then suddenly he gets, he's one of those bowlers, I think, once he clicks, he just gets quick wickets because he's that awkward action. He bowls a really good pace. That York is a threatening baller, and as a right hander when you're facing someone wider, the

crees, you know you've got to play it pretty much everything. So he drags you into playing deliveries and he's just got enough movement out of the deck today to challenge the batters. The bowling attack is a very threatening bowling attack. You know, you look at Joffar Archie, didn't quite have a great day today, but wonderful bowler, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson,

we know what Gus has done in the past. To put that all together, though, you need a bit of glue. And I think Olly Robinson will become that glue. And I wonder, in English conditions, having seen Olly Robinson bowl today, will there be scope for something like a Sam Cuck to be at the other end as well? So you've got two quick bowlers, if you like, and Gus Axon, Josh and Josh Tong, two of the three.

And then you have a Sam cook and you have an Olly Robinson. Because that keeper stood-up tactic is a real threat. And if you can do it from either end or you can use Olly Robinson for four or five, then you bring Sam Cuck on to replace him, I'd love to see throughout this series, whether it's next week, whether it's the last test at Edgebaston, I'd love to see an England attack that's not all about airspeed.

You know, I think we've said early, Andy, that Olly Robinson's test average when he bowls under 80 miles an hour is 19. So actually, it's about skill, it is about accuracy. It allows the captain to set field. When they did get that partnership going, and Imand and Abdullah was starting to play well, What did Joe Root do? He had to turn to Ollie Robinson to set a ring field to just bowl a few dots.

And as a captain, you need bowlers that can just give you some control. And with control, generally brings you a wicket or two. And yeah, throughout this series, I would like to see two 80 or miles an hour bowlers in the same attack. It's interesting he brought Sam Cuck back into the squad, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Look, Cook is seen a lot more than I have. But I've seen Sam Cuck in County Cricket. He's had that one time of us seeing him in test match cricket at Trent Bridge against him.

it was a road. And I think there was only, if we look back to that, there's only really Ben Stokes that bowled anything like for England, the rest of them struggled. And then because Sam was on his debut, I think he had a catch dropped in his first over. Now, because he was on his debut, people went away and said, oh, is that all he's got?

Well, the other bowlers actually looked very similar, but because they'd played a little bit more, they get a bit more time. But I've seen enough of Sam Cuck in County Cricket that if he was bowling out there today on that pitch with the ball moving, he could have done a similar job to Ollie Robinson. A thousand percent. He didn't bowl his best, a few elements of it, probably trying so hard because this is his opportunity to wait it's so long for.

And also the way that Ben Stokes does captain or did captain those kind of bowlers, he was bowling with three slips, two gullies. And actually, Essex, what does he do in the majority of time after his initial three or four overs? It's ringfields, plug it, plug him in and just bang away. And there's an element of him chasing it, attacking field, and him not seeing. We did not see anywhere like the Sam Cook that I saw and I played with him playing in that game, no matter how flat the wicket is. When flat wickets, he does still, at his best, he just bowls the ball time and time again. He has a slight disadvantage to Olly Robinson, that Olly is taller.

So just for having that tall, you do create a little bit more. But absolutely, it's been so successful in England the last couple of years. Well, Cookie, look at the, if the analysts aren't doing their work correctly on all the information that they get now, well, look at the bowlers that have had all the success this year. Matt Henry got, what, 10 wickets, 11 wickets at the Oval, what did e-bowl? What did e-ball? Ollie Robbins a date. We go to Trent Bridge, Nathan Smith.

How quick did e-ball? 80 miles an hour. Zat Valks, when he came into the table, how quick did e-ball? 81 miles an hour. So I think over the last two or three years, this England regime has got completely obsessed with airspeed. And I think you look at our greatest pair, Broaden Anderson, how quick did they bowl? 80 to 82 miles an hour. So we have to focus.

on the skill element, the accuracy because it gives control and if there's any ounce of movement out there. And even that this is quite a dry pitch. And I just think these bowlers are so skillful these days. The way that they put their fingers across the ball, the way they seem to be able to get this ball wobble seeming. I know as a batter, and I'm sure Cookie will say the same. I'd hate to face someone ball with 80 to 8 to 1 miles an hour with a hint of scene movement either way. I'd rather face someone bowling 90 trying to hit you on the head. You know, I think most players around the world who are at a standard like to glance at the and likes to flick.

You know, if you've got that ball coming down at 80, you've got to do all the work as a batter. You know, it's so much harder to face. I'm not saying you want four of them, but when you've got so many bowlers to choose from, I'd love to see in this series two and two, two 80 yards and two 80 miles an hour bowlers. The game has changed in the last 20 years.

Now, whether that's down to the pitches, which I think it has, or the wobble seam, like influence. When I started, it was people who play test cricket the best, people like Trez, people who commanded, the ball from upper thigh to chest high. That was the difference. You could play that because the peach didn't nip as much so you had to have that extra bit of pace.

Well now it's gone straight back, it's gone back to who commands the top of off stunt better. As a batter, can you command that playing on the front foot? Joe Root today played so many balls commanding the off stump. Well, 20 years ago, it was way more about cutting pulling. Graham Thorpe, he was obsessed when he played. You had to be able to play cut and pull to play test cricket. Totally changed now.

Now whether that is the wickets or the wobble seam. DRS as well? Or DRS? With the keeper standing up and all that. It's the wobble seam, isn't it? It's made bowling easier. There is less skill. You've got to give them a bit of credit, Sir Alistair.

Well, I mean, you tell me. Bring out Derek Shackleton, I said. He was doing this 70 years ago. If the bowl is still at the top of the market, and said, this is going to nip away, and then he said this one's nipping back in and he got it right every single time, I'm giving the bowler skill, credit.

What they are very good. good out of those the wobble suitors. You sit the lookie, Charleston? No, they hit, they hit length and they don't know which way it's going, and if they constantly hit length, they're going to get, the odd one which doesn't yet, the odd one nips away, and it's very hard to line as a bag. A bass's setup

of Duckett was brilliant, that was swing. That was swing, away, swing, and then one that was skidded straight on. It was wobble away, and then he swung it, there was definitely out-swingers. Well, I think, I think slightly differently, I think he was wobbling away with the fact that it just angled that way. And then the ball, I was on air, and I did look,

The ball which got them out, you're absolutely right. It was a different scene position to not wobble away to carry on going. And it was very skillful. So I'm giving that one credit. I'm saying the other ones are just skillful length bowling and allowing the conditions to do the way. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. So what about flat pitches, this style of bowling we're talking about,

the Robinsons, the cooks, them hammered. What about flat pitches? Well, how many absolute roads are there? I think you price more overseas necessarily than a home. When you go and play with a different ball, you might need a bit more airspeed. But here in the UK,

in Australia, over the last four or five years, the ball's done plenty. It's a different cooker-weer-ball, so I don't think we have to be obsessed, four years in advance now. I think, oh, we're going to have to arrive in Australia with a load of pace.

I think you just need real consistency. Just look at Bangladesh last week. A load of basics delivered. They win a test match. You know, maybe in India, you might need a little bit more because those pitches are pretty flat. Obviously, you're going to turn to spin anyway.

in India, but for the majority of the kind of games that England play, there's always a little bit there. So you just need skillful bowlers with, look, you need the balance, don't you? You don't want four of the same, whether it's pace or 18 miles an hour wobble seam. You need two and two. That's why throughout this series, they're going to have rest and rotate. You can't play the likes of Tong and Joffar Archer and Gossackson, I wouldn't think, in all three. So next week at Lords, it wouldn't surprise me at all of this. And they went, come on, Sam, come on, Sam, let's have a look at you.

I think this is the kind of series that I think we should be looking to try and, you know, grow that group of bowlers. You know, it's a perfect series. I'm not complacently saying that Pakistan are a freebie. It's going to be three and of course you have to work hard. But if there was ever a team from what I've seen today that you could just bring in a bowler, I would say this Pakistan side is a good time to bring someone in. Okay, well, that's England's bowling. Pakistan will like for 171. Pretty disappointing.

Last five going for 21. England's batting. 112 for 2. This scored at four and a half runs per over. There was the challenge of Mohammed Abbas. He got duck it out. We talked about that. Emilio Gaye out for 33, caught by Salman Ali Aga in the slick cord. And what do we make of Emilio Gay coming into this series, average of 23. Cox's in the side.

Lawrence back in the side. You've got Bethel in the wings. Well, I thought, you know, Emilio Gay's had a decent start, and then obviously he's had a struggle at Trent Bridge. He was moved down to number seven in his last test match in his, which we don't know how much that would have affected him. I thought he looked very good today. He played some glorious shots.

He got himself in some really nice positions. He gets a decent ball. You know, you're going to get the odd decent ball at the top of the order. So his movements are good. You know, he'll be looking at that last hour of watching Joe and Jordan Cox, and he'll know deep down, he'll be thinking, oh, no, because he's missed a golden opportunity. Because this attack, look, Mohammed Abbas is a good bowler.

He can challenge you, but the other two seamers looked. They're a sema short, aren't they? Yeah, they're a sema short. They've got a left-arm spinner. This isn't going to spin, so he's almost nullified already. But I thought Mohammed Ali and Karam looked a pleasure to face. They might improve tomorrow. We'll have to wait and see.

But I would think Emilio Gail will be sat in that dressing room thinking, oh, no, I've missed a big option. And you look at Jordan Cox, the way that he played. I thought it looked calm and composed, and he looks like he's got a lot of time, and he did against New Zealand when he played. in that test match at the Oval and he walks out at number three

and I always look at body language and he's got a bit of presence about him and he played one or two strokes through the offside that reminded me of A.B. DeVilius he's not that standard at all but he just has that aura and that kind of

that quiet confidence at this level when you're strolling out at number three in your England three lions you have to believe in yourself and I think he's got that inner belief that should travel him a long way in the test match team. I'm hoping it was just the nerves of playing a big test match, playing England, away for Pakistan, is a big series. And those other two, they didn't bowl well. And it was,

you know, they bowed two or three good balls. But you knew as a batter, if you're facing you thinking, I've only got a, I know I'm getting a four ball every over. And a bass needs that support. So I'm putting it down to the nerves of the big series and they'll come back tomorrow. and hopefully if you look at it as a Pakistan side of it, the rain for a bit in the morning keeps the moisture in the wicket. So it does a bit and they find some areas because they didn't bowl very well. And you're right, you have little opportunities in test cricket

and that was for me who moved lovely. I think I was on the TV saying how committed he was to every attack and shot. He was really decisive. He was very clear and how he played. He got some bad balls and he put them away with real distinction. He just nicked a half decent ball. When that happens, you are just cursing yourself. Because a 30 doesn't save you.

It doesn't die, wasn't it? Georgio Amani of opening batting. It's a beautiful flourish with his drives. Joined watching him play. But snuffed out on 33, 48 for two, and then Root and Cox batting to the clothes, to take it to 112 for two. We can get some Pakistan reaction now. Atif Noaz has been speaking with opener Imam al-Hak,

who made 42 today. Imam, there was a, it felt like a tough day for Pakistan today to start the series off. Yeah, you can say that, you know, first of all, you know, we thought so that, you know, it's a good wicket. But obviously, you know, they bowled very well. You know, we have to give credit to the England bowlers as well. They were very decent with their length and they were, you know, just hitting the right spot. And, you know, me and Abdullah, you know, we batted. We thought we were batting decently.

But, you know, once I got out and then there was no such big partnership and, you know, on the first day, If you're not scoring a big partnership, then you are in trouble. And then obviously with the ball, obviously we have to work hard. But I always believe that, you know, it's a long day. It's a five-day game. And, you know, things change with the dube ball very quickly. So we're going to come back harder. And, inshallah, quick two wickets and the game's going to change.

So if we go back to that, yourself and Abdullah put on a 91-run partnership. It looked like batting got a little bit more comfortable. I mean, it's never really been comfortable today. But it got a little bit more comfortable post-rain break. Is that fair to say? It's just that I always believe that once the batsman is set, it's a different ballgame. And if you see that, you know, me and Abdullah was batting very solid, and once I got out, and then, you know, it's a different ballgame.

So it looks very nice and very easy from the outside. But, you know, if the batsman is set, it's a different ball game because the mindset has changed, and then once the wicket has fallen and it's a different ball game. But, yeah, for all the batters as well, it was not like a dream batting track, to be honest. But, you know, this is how it is in England. You know, the Duke ball, it always tests you as an opener. we have to come back as a batting group stronger. Coming into this series, was there a lot of excitement?

Was there sort of a lot of optimism, especially after the way you guys finished in the West Indies and the warm-up match, which you guys won as well? Look, you know, it was great that we won the second test match and we really needed that win as a group. And then, you know, we had a very good practice session and practice warm-up game and we won that as well. You know, look, the thing is, yes, it was a bad day,

but as a batting group, we are confident and one off day cannot describe our batting. and, you know, we're going to come back. I know, you know, we will have a chat about it, and, shall-a-l-l-l-will-come-strong. Looking at the way Olly Robinson and Josh Tung, yeah, they both bowled, both picked up five-wicket halls as well. Do you think maybe looking at your team composition,

maybe one scene bowl alike? I guess, you know, you can say if in buts, you know, once the bad day has gone to the team, but I think that's the decision of the captain and the coach, and, you know, whatever the team is, and they pick it the right team, and the thing is we have to back our playing 11 and we have to like it's still four days and I will always believe that you know

when we will play good cricket and then the results will be changed as Barbara's finger he's running is fine I guess obviously the warm-up game has done it and you know there was awkward I thought you know you know I think inshallah we will we will see him in the second test very well battered today Imam and best of luck for the coming days thank you sir Imam al-Hak speaking to Atif Noaz Zandhi Zaltzman is here What caught your eye statistically today

Zalz? Well let's start with the first ball of the match And the series with Olli Robinson's first wicket Had Azan Oweas LBW For a golden duck The 12th time in test history That a bowler has taken a wicket with the first ball of the series The most recent instance was Rory Burns Out to Mitchell Stark

In the first ball of the 2021 to 22 ashes Only the second time in England bowler has ever struck with the first ball of a test series. Jimmy Anderson got Dean Elgar out in South Africa in the 2019-20 series. And the first time in any test series in this country that the first ball has taken a wicket. It was the first of Robinson's wickets. He took four of Pakistan's top five with bold and one bold three LBW.

So four unassisted wickets wickets in the top five. The first England Seema to do that for just under 50 years since John Lever did it in India. in December 1976 and only the second time in England, Seema, has had four unassisted top five wickets in a test innings in this country. Trevor Bailey against New Zealand in 1949. The other in all eight bowls in LBW is the joint most ever in the opening innings of a test match in this country. And yeah, we talked about Robinson speeds.

So the updated stats, when Robinson, where we have ball tracking data available, which is all apart from one match that he played in, which was a game in India in which he didn't take a wicket. but when he's bowled under 80 miles an hour, he's taken 38 wickets average 17.7, and when he's bowled over 80 miles an hour, he's taken 50 wickets at 22.8. Both of those numbers are very good, but it does slightly suggest that his optimum pace is actually a little lower than 80 miles an hour. And his average speed today, just under 79 miles an hour, was the second slowest average speed he's recorded over innings in his test career. Josh Tung rather quicker also took four wickets

and it was only the fifth time in the last 60 years that two England bowlers have taken five wickets in the same minute in fact their fifth time since 1952. That's happened. The most recent instance was Harmeson and Panasar in 2006 at Old Trafford also against Pakistan. The TMS podcast from BBC Radio 4. Five Live.

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