Tongue to hang out with the Test team
SURPRISE ENGLAND DEBUT FOR PACEMAN
JOSH TONGUE will fulfil a “dream come true” tomorrow when he makes a shock England Test debut at Lord’s, a ground at which he has never played.
The 25-year-old gets his chance after impressing on tour with the Lions and in the nets to leapfrog Chris Woakes into the side.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have made the call to take a look at the Worcestershire seamer in this Test against Ireland even though he was originally called up to the squad only as cover for the injured Ollie Robinson.
But clearly the right-arm paceman, who dismissed both Steve Smith and Cheteshwar Pujara in county cricket this month, has impressed.
Tongue said: “It’s an amazing feeling. I’m speechless really, even from when I got the first call-up to be in the squad. Now being in the actual team, it’s just a dream come true.
“I bowled at some of the lads on Monday. I felt like I bowled nicely and obviously I was going in with no expectations to be playing at all.
“Just bowling at high-class players at the nets was good for me. I must have bowled fairly well to get selected. I’ve never played at Lord’s before for Worcester so it’s my first time being here and experiencing the ground as a player. I’ve been as a fan in the crowd but never played.”
It is a huge reward for Tongue, who came close to giving up the game and retiring due to a rare shoulder condition called thoracic outlet syndrome.
It left him unable to feel the ball in his hands due to a nerve issue, but two operations and a botox injection cleared up the problem and allowed him to continue playing.
Eight wickets in a Lions ‘Test’ against Sri Lanka in front of England managing director Rob Key has now led him to this point.
He said: “I’m just proud of myself and how I held in there. I was very close to retiring due to my shoulder. I had two operations, saw a lot of specialists and was in a really dark place.
“Since I was a young kid I always dreamed about playing for England. Now knowing I stuck in there shows that mentally I was in a good place and it’s come good.”
Tomorrow will be a huge day for him and his family with his dad, a cricket coach, particularly proud of the young boy he helped at the start of his journey.
The selection clearly puts Tongue firmly in England’s Ashes plans this summer with a desire to get him some Test experience before then.
However, he is trying not to think about that.
Tongue said: “It’s going to be a very emotional day for my dad. He’s that sort of character.
“He even coached me back in the day when I was playing all my age group stuff.
“I’m the sort of person to stay in the present. So I’m not really thinking about the Ashes at the minute. I’m trying to focus on this game first.”
Being in the side is just a dream come true