England have named Josh Tongue in their side for the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s.
The Worcestershire pace bowler replaces former county colleague Moeen Ali as the only change to the England line-up that lost the opening Test by two wickets at Edgbaston.
Here, the PA news agency looks at five things you may not know about the 25-year-old, who took a five wicket second-innings haul on his Test debut against Ireland at Lord’s earlier this month.
He has already landed an Ashes blowThe arrival of Australia’s star batter Steve Smith on an overseas deal at Sussex caused plenty of disgruntlement among those who felt it gave Australia an Ashes edge. But Smith’s first game did not provide the acclimatisation he was hoping for, with Tongue rapping his front pad to dismiss him for 30 in his only innings. The lbw decision was far from clear-cut, but that was not enough to take the smile off the bowler’s face as he declared it a “bail-trimmer”.
Injury forced him to consider early retirementTongue told The Cricketer earlier this year that he had started to wonder if he should “pull the pin” on his professional career during a 15-month lay-off with severe shoulder problems. It took visits to three separate specialists to finally get to the bottom of the nerve issues that left him experiencing dead arms and unable to grip the ball. A diagnosis was eventually forthcoming for a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome, with a treatment programme getting him back on the field last August.
He was an early starterTongue was just six years old when he began his unbroken association with Worcestershire, turning out for the club’s Under-10 side well ahead of time. He has since gone through the age groups and academy set-up at New Road, eventually making his first-class debut in 2016. He already has close to two decades of playing experience with his home county and looks a good bet to be a one-club man.
Untapped white-ball talentFor the majority of his time in county cricket, Tongue has been seen primarily as a red-ball prospect. Indeed, he has played just 15 List A fixtures and only 10 T20s – three since returning from England Test duty. Despite that thin track record, which includes a modest 24 limited-overs wickets, he was signed up by Manchester Originals for this summer’s Hundred competition. Head coach Simon Katich must have seen something to work with and the tournament could provide a chance for Tongue to spread his wings in a new environment.
Roaring with the LionsTongue was called up for the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, a clear chance to impress the powers that be. With the ECB’s elite pace bowling coach Neil Killeen leading the trip and powerful director of cricket Rob Key also travelling, Tongue took his opportunity in the second unofficial Test. Forced to wait until Matthew Fisher and Sam Cook had shared the new ball, he picked up five for 76 in the first innings and grabbed another three in the second. On a Galle surface known as spin-friendly, it cannot have done his cause any harm at all.
Greaves hits unbeaten ton as West Indies dominate Bangladesh
Justin Greaves hit an unbeaten century – his first red-ball ton – as West Indies ended day two of their first Test against Bangladesh with a commanding 410-run lead.
Greaves resumed alongside Joshua Da Silva with West Indies 250-5 after day one in Antigua, eventually slamming 115 runs off 206 balls faced as the hosts established a dominant position.
His steady knock ensured the Windies recovered nicely after slipping to 261-7 early on, while Kemar Roach hit a career-best 47 through four defiant hours at the crease.
Hasan Mahmud took three day-two wickets for Bangladesh, including that of Roach, as his short delivery angled in to clip the top of middle stump.
Windies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite declared to put Bangladesh at the crease late on, and there was no respite for the tourists against the hosts' four-man pace attack.
Zakir Hasan fell to Jayden Seales for 15, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy edged Alzarri Joseph for five shortly after being dropped, leaving Bangladesh 40-2 at stumps.
Data Debrief: Career-best for Greaves
Greaves' unbeaten 115 marked his first century in Test cricket, surpassing his previous best knock – a score of 33 versus Australia in January – by some distance.
His strike rate of 55.83 on Saturday, while steady, also bettered his effort of 55.00 during that match in Brisbane. Thanks to his efforts, Bangladesh have a real mountain to climb on day three.
Inglis hails 'hard to stop' Stoinis after ruthless knock
Josh Inglis lauded "hard to stop" Marcus Stoinis as Australia signed off their T20I series against Pakistan in style, claiming a whitewash.
The hosts raced to a seven-wicket victory with almost nine overs remaining in Monday's third match.
After Australia's bowlers had limited Pakistan to just 117 runs, Stoinis ensured they signed off their final white-ball assignment in style, with his unbeaten 61 doing the damage.
Only twice has he bettered that knock in T20Is – versus New Zealand in 2021 (78) and against Oman at the World Cup earlier this year (67*).
"It's been a great week. We've had a lot of fun as a group," Inglis said. "It's been really nice.
"When Stoinis is going like that, he is really hard to stop. One of those sixes was probably the biggest I've ever seen!"
Stoinis, who was named player of the match, added: "Nice to score some runs on a beautiful wicket but credit to the bowlers who kept the total down.
"Yeah, I actually told [Haris] Rauf that this is the first time any of us got the better of him! No, he's a brilliant bowler, bowled well this series."
During their white-ball tour, Pakistan won the ODI series, their first time doing so in Australia in 22 years, but got whitewashed in the T20Is.
Despite the heavy loss, captain Agha Salman chose to focus on the positive effect the experience will have on their young players.
"I think in the middle overs, we didn't capitalise on the start," he said. "But lots of positives.
"The way Usman [Khan] batted, the way Jahandad [Khan] bowled. These youngsters will come good.
"It's obviously a big achievement winning the ODI series, but we could have done much better in the T20Is."
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
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