Raw pace gives Tongue last word
Peter Miller reflects on how a bright young bowling talent blew Glamorgan away at Cardiff
Teenage quick bowler Josh Tongue marked his County Championship debut for Worcestershire with a five-wicket haul that helped his team secure an eight wicket win over Division Two strugglers, Glamorgan.
Having made his first-class debut at the start of the 2016 season against Oxford University a stress fracture of the back had kept Tongue waiting for his Championship bow for his county, but, when given this chance, he made the most of it.
Tongue had gone wicketless in Glamorgan’s first innings, but when he was introduced into the attack in the second innings as the Welsh county Glamorgan attempted to claw their way back into this match after conceding a 196-run lead he had an immediate impact.
He removed Glamorgan captain, Jacques Rudolph and then had David Lloyd lbw in the same over, both with full, quick deliveries.
Tongue said: “Words can’t really describe how I am feeling, just phenomenal. It is what I have been dreaming of.
“I felt really good bowling-wise. I was hitting the pitch hard and getting something out of the pitch. It is all about rhythm, my run-up and the timing of my arms and making sure that they are all perfect.
“It does show that the coaches have a lot of faith in me. I have bowled well in the nets and played in the warm-up games against Somerset and Gloucestershire and did well.”
Perhaps the most impressive period of Tongue’s debut was on the final day came when he was bowling to Glamorgan’s second innings top-scorer, Aneurin Donald. The 20-year-old batsman had reached 57 when a very quick Tongue bouncer struck him flush on the grille of his helmet.
Donald had looked in great touch before this but edged Tongue into the cordon in the same over to end Glamorgan’s resistance.
This was an excellent all-round performance from Worcestershire, but seeing yet another academy graduate make the first team and then succeed is great news for a club that have avoided expensive Kolpaks and concentrated on producing homegrown talent.
Tongue’s back injury means he still needs to be looked after, but he is a great prospect.