Robinson got England off to the perfect start in their first Test of the new Joe Root captaincy era, when he pinned Awais on his front pad for a golden duck with the first ball of the match. Awais sent the decision upstairs, perhaps in the hope the ball had struck him just outside the line, but the review showed three reds.
Having dismissed Awais, Robinson went on to strike again during his first spell, getting Shan Masood in his third over to leave Pakistan 6-2. After 10 overs of play, rain swept across Headlingley, taking the players off the field with the score at 19-2.
Robinson's start is the second time in a row he's taken a wicket in the first over of a Test match innings. On his return to the England side earlier this summer against New Zealand at Lord's, after more than two years on the sidelines, Robinson took three wickets in his first over. He went on to claim five wickets in the innings, as well as two in New Zealand's second innings as England won by 115 runs.
However, Robinson's dismissal of Awais made English cricketing history, as the first time on record a bowler has struck with the first delivery of the first game of a Test series in England. Among English bowlers, Robinson is only the second to take a wicket with the first ball of any Test series, with James Anderson having dismissed Dean Elgar with the first delivery of England's series against South Africa in Centurion in 2019.
In the entire history of Test cricket, a wicket has fallen on the first ball of a series 12 times. West Indies quick Pedro Collins is the only player to have taken a wicket with the first ball of a Test series twice, both times dismissing Bangladesh's Hannan Sarkar.
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 2026Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
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