Josh Tongue wondered if early retirement was calling following a rare shoulder injury that left him unable to feel his entire right arm. But now the Worcestershire seamer has been handed his first call-up by England for the one-off Test against Ireland next week.
Tongue, 25, has already been in the headlines this summer, becoming the first bowler to dismiss Steve Smith during the Australian’s pre-Ashes warm-up stint at Sussex. Though a borderline lbw decision, the spell still underlined the right-armer’s promise.
With Jimmy Anderson (groin strain) and Ollie Robinson (ankle soreness) unlikely to be risked in the four-day Test against Ireland that starts at Lord’s on 1 June, Tongue has now been added to the set-up and will compete with Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts and Stuart Broad for a spot in the final XI.
A product of the pathway at New Road, having started out with Worcestershire’s Under-10s when he was just six years old, Tongue bowls at an awkward pace and boasts 162 wickets at an average of 26 from his 47 first-class matches to date.
The newcomer is currently on the comeback trail from a side-strain but, amid an injury crisis that has seen Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse all ruled out, and with Mark Wood possibly on paternity leave, he should be passed fit in the coming days.
That niggle pales into insignificance compared to the challenges Tongue has overcome in his nascent career, having missed 15 months of first-team cricket for Worcestershire between 2021 and 2022 due to a nerve problem in his right shoulder. It required two operations which, despite suggestions the injury may be career-ending, ultimately worked.
Speaking after the match against Sussex at New Road this month, and still buzzing from his removal of Smith for 30, Tongue explained: “It was called thoracic outlet syndrome.
“Basically, I just couldn’t feel my whole right arm, I couldn’t feel the ball in my hand, my whole arm would go dead, my hands would go cold.
“It’s a very rare injury to have as a cricketer. It was a bad time but I’m feeling good now and I’m just glad to be back on the park and enjoying my cricket.”
Playing the last three County Championship matches of the 2022 season saw Tongue called up for the Lions’ winter programme. And in February, faced with the unfamiliar conditions of Galle, he claimed eight wickets against Sri Lanka A and gave the selectors a heavy nudge.
Luke Wright, England men’s national selector, said: “We have been monitoring Josh for quite some time and he deserves this call-up. It will be a great experience for him to understand and get used to the environment under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.”
Ben Stokes (Durham) Capt; James Anderson (Lancashire); Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire); Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire); Harry Brook (Yorkshire); Zak Crawley (Kent); Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire); Dan Lawrence (Essex); Jack Leach (Somerset); Ollie Pope (Surrey); Matthew Potts (Durham); Ollie Robinson (Sussex); Joe Root (Yorkshire); Josh Tongue (Worcestershire); Chris Woakes (Warwickshire); Mark Wood (Durham)
Tongue will link up with the England squad this weekend, with the four-day Test against Ireland serving as their final preparations for the Ashes series that gets under way at Edgbaston on 16 June.
Meanwhile, Ireland have called up the uncapped seamer Matthew Foster for the Lord’s Test following Conor Olphert’s injury setback. Olphert was progressing well in his recovery from a knee injury but the problem has resurfaced in recent weeks, meaning the 27-year-old will not be fit for the four-day Test.
