TThere are moments when Josh Tongue talks about the situation he finds himself in with genuine disbelief, as if he hasn’t so much earned a place in the England dressing room but rather snuck in when no one was looking and hid in a laundry basket.
“I said that to myself when I was first picked in ’23: ‘Just being here, among this group of people, in the Ashes team, is just an amazing… what’s that word? Achievement?'” he says. “Like, it’s amazing. Being part of this England team at the moment is amazing and I couldn’t ask for anything else really. And to now be part of an Ashes team, to go to Australia’s backyard and play against them… I just can’t wait for the next few months.”
The tongue can expect the excitement to last a little longer. When the England and Wales Cricket Board announced this year’s batch of central contracts at the start of the month, most of the two-year deals, reserved for the country’s most integral players, went to core members of the white-ball squad, many of them also in the first-choice Test side.
There were a few exceptions: Gus Atkinson, an occasional limited-overs international but established as a key member of the red-ball team, and Ben Stokes, the Test captain, were two. And then, finally, an injury-prone 27-year-old who has played six Tests in two and a half years and never tasted another format. It seems like someone somewhere has a lot of faith in Josh Tongue.
You get the feeling that the player himself doesn’t need much confirmation. He cherishes his self-confidence, as he does most things, in silence, but when the conversation turns to topics that could be a source of uncertainty – the fragility of his own body, for example, or the moment earlier this year when, in the most high-profile situation possible, he seemed to completely lose his ability to determine which direction the ball left his hand – it seems to be out of the question. After all, why interpret sustaining injuries as evidence of weakness when you can view recovery as a show of strength?
“I think with my first real injury to my shoulder, that thoracic outlet syndrome, overcoming that first major injury helped me a lot,” he says. “I was out for over 18 months and was about to retire. I spoke to a lot of people. I didn’t know what would happen with my career, I was looking for other things to do in the worst case scenario. Obviously any injury is terrible, no one wants to get hurt, but I feel like that first one prepared me well for my second and third.”
Tongue admits there were brief doubts when he was first called up to the Test squad for the one-off match against Ireland in 2023, just the ninth first-class match he had played after returning from his shoulder injury.
“I thought, ‘Am I good enough to play for England?’” he says. “But I just knew I had to be diligent with my preparation, trust my processes, do what I did to get myself into this position, not change who I am. Because that’s not who I am as a person. I’m very introverted and I just want to do what I do best and not change who I am.”
There is a conflict here between the introvert and the entertainer, an inherently quiet soul whose job is to perform in front of thousands of people. At the Oval this summer there was a moment when any lapses in his composure could have resulted in serious fissures: a nine-ball, 12-run over in the Test against India with two humiliatingly wild deliveries, each of which disappeared five wide down the leg side. But Tongue didn’t hesitate and soon produced stunning, unplayable deliveries to dismiss Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja.
“I’ve always been introverted as a child,” he says. “But I feel like when I step on that field, things just change. I feel like when I open up the game, it brings out a different side of me. It’s different on the field, off the field. Because the main reason I play cricket is to enjoy playing cricket, to have a smile on my face. It’s rare that I don’t have a smile on my face even if things aren’t going well, which is what happened this year.”
“Especially in that match in India at the Oval, those wide legs down the leg side. I was standing at the top of my goal in that match and I thought, look around you, you’re playing in front of thousands of people. Enjoy the moment, you never know how long it’s going to last.”
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“I went to the basics: bowling my best ball, which is hitting the pitch hard and getting something out of it. I just went back to that and got those two quick wickets. Sometimes I feel like I’m a bit of an overthinker. And also because there’s so many people watching you, you want to impress them, so I feel like I put a little too much pressure on myself sometimes. But I also know when to just be nice and relaxed, and I’m a chilled-out guy. Just enjoy every minute.”
It must help that England have a coach in Brendon McCullum whose guiding philosophy is to take pressure off and encourage his teams to play without fear. “Absolutely,” says Tong. ‘Under that spell [against India] I’ve bowled really good balls, played and missed, chased people away, and he always reminds me of those things, to make me feel good about myself. He is very good at that.
“I still remember the first conversation he had with everyone, when he introduced me to the group at Lord’s before the Ireland Test. You just want to lock up and listen to him, without distraction. You listen to every word he says, and he pumps up your tires too. That’s what makes you feel so much better, knowing he’s got your back, knowing you’re good enough to be here and just change the matches on their heads. I feel like I’m doing so well so far done.”
With shoulder, chest and hamstring injuries behind him, Tongue heads into the Ashes as part of a miraculously injury-free seam bowling group that includes Jofra Archer (“Amazing”), Mark Wood (“Unbelievable”), Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Matt Potts, as well as Stokes. Most of them were in New Zealand during the recent white-ball series, building up their workload before moving to Perth. “We thrive off each other. We all want everyone to do well,” Tongue says. “Of course you want your name on the team sheet, but we all celebrate everyone’s successes.”
But for now, Tongue is quietly celebrating his own. “I’ve always wanted to play in an away Ashes. I think it’s everyone’s dream to play in the Ashes,” he says. “It’s a huge thing for English cricket. As a young kid, Fred Flintoff was my idol. It was just amazing to watch those moments. And just to be involved, even though I’m not playing any matches, just to be involved in the Ashes is incredible.”
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