Ollie Robinson made an immediate impact on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan at Headingley. He struck on the first delivery itself, sending Azan Awais packing and, with that, set a new record in English cricket history. Awais was trapped in front of the stumps, but the batter wasn’t satisfied with the umpire’s decision as he opted for DRS. The technology, however, confirmed the original call with three reds.
With the wicket, Robinson became the second player after Kapil Dev to take a wicket on the first ball of a Test match against Pakistan. The former India captain achieved the feat 43 years ago in 1983 when he dismissed Mohsin Khan. The dismissal also made him the first bowler to take a wicket with the first delivery of the opening match of a Test series played in England.
He is only the second England bowler to achieve the broader feat of taking a wicket from the first ball of a Test series. James Anderson previously managed it against South Africa in Centurion in 2019, when he dismissed Dean Elgar.
Full list: Wickets to fall on the first ball of a Test series:
| Bowler | Batter | Venue | Year |
| Test Badcock (NZ) | Herbert Sutcliffe (ENG) | Christchurch | 1933 |
| Ernie McCormick (AUS) | Stan Worthington (ENG) | The Gabba | 1936 |
| Kapil Dev (IND) | Jimmy Cook (SA) | Durban | 1992 |
| Pedro Collins (WI) | Hannan Sarkar (BAN) | Dhaka | 2002 |
| Pedro Collins (WI) | Hannan Sarkar (BAN) | Gros Islet | 2004 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza (BAN) | Wasim Jaffer (IND) | Chattogram | 2007 |
| Mohammad Amir (PAK) | Tim McIntosh (NZ) | Dunedin | 2009 |
| Suranga Lakmal (SL) | KL Rahul (IND) | Eden Gardens | 2017 |
| James Anderson (ENG) | Dean Elgar (SA) | Centurion | 2019 |
| Blessing Muzarabani (ZIM) | Abdul Malik (AFG) | Abu Dhabi | 2021 |
| Mitchell Starc (AUS) | Rory Burns (ENG) | The Gabba | 2021 |
| Ollie Robinson (ENG) | Azan Awais (PAK) | Headingley | 2026 |
Robinson gets better of Shan Masood too
Robinson did not have to wait long for another breakthrough. He removed Shan Masood in his third over, reducing Pakistan to 6-2 before the visitors could establish themselves in Leeds. Rain then interrupted proceedings after 10 overs as Pakistan had reached 19-2 when the players left the field.
Joe Root, who has been reappointed as captain, couldn’t have asked for a better start. Several questions were raised after he was reappointed, but so far it has been so good.
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