Who is Josh Tongue? 5 things to know about England's latest Test debutant

Josh Tongue is all set to make his Test debut for England in their one-off Test match against Ireland at the Lord's cricket ground on Thursday, June 1. Tongue has reportedly made an impression on coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, which is why he has been named in the playing XI ahead of Chris Woakes.

Tongue is a right-arm fast-medium bowler. While he does not have an impressive batting record like Woakes, England have decided to try him out before the crucial Ashes series against Australia.

Ahead of Tongue's Test debut, here's a look at the five things that cricket fans should know about him.

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#1 Josh Tongue has played 47 first-class matches

Tongue has enormous red-ball cricket experience under his belt. Prior to his Test debut, the right-arm pacer has already been a part of 47 first-class matches, where he picked up 162 wickets at an economy rate of 3.4.

In an era where more and more players prefer playing T20 cricket, Tongue has only played seven T20s in his career. He has prioritized red-ball cricket and received the reward for the same.

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#2 Josh Tongue took 8 wickets against Sri Lanka 'A' earlier this year

Tongue was a member of the England Lions squad that toured Sri Lanka for an unofficial Test series against Sri Lanka 'A' earlier this year. While the conditions in Sri Lanka assist the spinners, Tongue emerged as the third-highest wicket-taker in the series.

The right-arm pacer bagged eight wickets in two Tests, including a five-wicket haul in Galle. He maintained a brilliant bowling average of 19.12 in the series.

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#3 Tongue made his U-10 debut at the age of 6

Tongue's father was a cricket coach. He trained him from a young age, and Tongue became so good at cricket that he received a place in the Worcestershire U-10 side at the age of six.

He impressed the coaches at every age group level he played after that, but a stress fracture in the back forced to him to undergo surgery in 2016. Two years later, he suffered another stress fracture in his left foot, but now, he is ready to represent England in Test cricket.

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#4 Josh Tongue knows multiple ways to trap the batters

Cricket fans who followed Tongue during his county matches would know that he is not a one-trick pony. The 25-year-old pacer has the habit of getting the outside edge of the batters' willow with his swinging deliveries.

Tongue has also troubled batters with his bouncers, catching them off guard on multiple occasions. You can watch some of his top dismissals in the video above.

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#5 Josh Tongue's career almost ended in 2021/22

As mentioned earlier, Tongue suffered multiple stress fractures in his career. The right-arm pacer also had a couple of failed shoulder operations. He was even unable to pick up a cup of tea because of the pain in his shoulder.

For 434 days from June 2021 to August 2022, there was a question mark over whether he would be able to bowl again. He also had a chat with his manager about what's next outside cricket for him. Eventually, a specialist recommended a cosmetic injection to him, which helped the pacer resume bowling again.