Josh Tong: Bowler destined for England from the age of six.

Tongue was impressed with Ireland earlier this month and will get another chance to showcase his talents in Ashes.

When Josh Tong became the first man to fire Steve Smith this summer in a County Championship game in Worcester less than two months ago, the idea of ​​the pair meeting again in the Ashes bordered on the absurd.

Yes, there was a time when any bowler capable of sacking Smith, England's kryptonite, could have been drafted into the Ashes XI. But at the time, Tong, despite impressing the English Lions this winter, seemed far behind in line. When Ben Stokes said he needed eight «big and shooting» fast bowlers, Tong certainly wasn't one of them. By that time, the couple had not even met.

And yet, on Wednesday at Lord's, he will be the debutant for the Ashes against Smith. Pat Cummins admitted he «hadn't seen a bunch» of Tongue, but would spank in the analyst's room Tuesday night; asked if Smith remembered him, Cummins smiled. «I didn't know he was bowling, but I've definitely heard that there are a few pounds that Smithy doesn't quite agree with!»

Tongue's rise was swift and impressive. It will be only his second game on the ground, but his name is already on the leaderboard as he scored five wickets on a test bow against Ireland earlier this month.

He admitted that he was speechless about being chosen there and only played the game because of a string of stitcher injuries. First Jofra Archer, then Ollie Stone, Jamie Overton and Brydon Kars, and minor injuries to Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson and James Anderson.

English bowlers' average speed

Even when he was included, England planned to draft Chris Wakes until they looked at Tongue in the net and decided that his hallmark would come in handy later this summer despite a modest 11 wicket record. 41.5 in the Championship this season. «A rough diamond» was Brandon McCallum's assessment.

He has now been chosen as a «peer-to-peer» replacement for Wood (a serious belief in Tong's much more modest pace), and along with Robinson and Anderson, who introduced their cap to their family earlier this month.

Language passes English exam cap from coach Brandon McCallum (left). Photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

The bowling of Tongue has been compared to Skipper Stokes bowling in his prime, where the bowling arm is out of perpendicular and capable of bowling in different phases. The captain certainly liked what he saw, not least in the eight-over spell that showed his resilience. It was his ability to play dodgeball spells, perhaps in the tail, that put him in the spotlight.

«I was particularly impressed with the game moments where he played different roles with the ball,» Stokes said of Tong's debut.

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“His first spell was just to run and bowl, trying to score a wicket. We then used it differently when we attacked the Ireland batters with our short ball plan. Stuart Broad, Jimmy and Robbo will tell you it's always nice to have someone who can do it at 90 mph. Just having that kind of versatility as a bowler this week would be very helpful.”

Long on England's radar

Of course, Tongue's journey began long before May 4th. Language is 25 years old but has been operating in Worcestershire for almost two decades and is completely immersed in the game; his father Phil is a coach and his brother Ryan has played cornermen for Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Since adolescence, Tong has been on the radar of English talent scouts. In the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he took 87 first-class wickets, earning recognition. But for 15 months starting in June 2021, Tong was sidelined with a shoulder injury that he couldn't move until he received Botox injections. “I was very close to retiring,” he said. “Having undergone two operations, having visited many specialists, I was in a very gloomy state.”

When Tong returned last September, he made an immediate impression on England. Tongue's pace isn't as expressive as Wood's, but it stands out in the championship, where ECB data says only nine percent of seamer deliveries are over 83 mph. An injury to Derbyshire's Sam Conners opened up a place for him on the Lions tour, where he took eight wickets on a dead field from Sri Lanka. Rob Key, who still runs the selection, has admired him ever since.

The Language Challenge, says Stokes, will be a step up in the intensity of Ash's test. He coped with the rise from the Championship to Ireland, but it will be another level again. Tongue was in the England dressing room at Edgbaston last week when Zach Crowley scored the first goal of the four-man series.

“The noise was incredible,” he said. “I've never heard anything like it and just being in the dressing room before the game started was a great atmosphere.”

The pub owner won £50,000 when Tong debuted with a £100 bet. him at 500-1 to play for England when the fast bowler was 11.

Clearly the batsmen will do better too. But at least Tongue fired one of them sooner. «Of course yes, it would be great to get Steve Smith out again,» he smiled. “I was very happy the first time, so if I can do it the second time, it will be good for the team as well. I hope so.”