Josh Tongue in England Lions squad as he steps up return from injury
Tongue, who performed two Assessments within the summer time of 2023, has now no longer performed since August of the equal twelve months thanks to a pectoral damage.
His comeback was delayed by a hamstring worry sustained at the cease of the English season, but the Nottinghamshire man is now succor bowling and can join the Lions as soon as they stride next week.
Tongue, 27, will fabricate up his practicing in South Africa with a gaze to most definitely playing competitively on the Lions tour of Australia after Christmas.
“I desires to be hopefully against my fleshy bustle by the cease of the South Africa tour,” Tongue told BBC Sport.
Tongue made his Take a look at debut against Ireland at Lord’s then performed within the Ashes Take a look at against Australia on the equal ground. He dismissed every Steve Smith and David Warner in every innings.
Extremely rated by England management as one of the famous brightest prospects in a brand fresh slash of snappy bowlers, he was given a two-twelve months central contract in October 2023.
In his absence, the tempo-bowling department of the Take a look at group has been revolutionised. James Anderson and Stuart Sizable delight in retired and Ollie Robinson has been dropped, giving manner to the likes of Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Olly Stone and Josh Hull.
“It merely presentations the alternatives you are going to be in a position to build up as a young snappy bowler,” added Tongue.
“I do know if I’m match and firing I’m first fee bowler. I showed that closing twelve months. My main focal level now may most definitely be to build up as match as I can, accumulate succor bowling and glimpse what happens.”
Tongue’s return is one other boost for England, who delight in been hit by a assortment of snappy-bowling injuries.
Jamie Overton and Saqib Mahmood, who delight in every struggled with succor injuries, delight in been bowling on the white-ball tour of West Indies. Hull, who made his Take a look at debut against Sri Lanka but uncared for the tour of Pakistan with a quad damage, is succor in practicing and can join the Lions in South Africa.
Dillon Pennington, allotment of England squads within the early allotment of the summer time, then out with a hamstring damage since August, will most definitely be incorporated within the Lions squad.
The Lions, led for the predominant time by fresh head coach Andrew Flintoff, are in South Africa for practically a month, spending time on white-ball practicing, sharing durations with the Younger Lions squad, then playing a four-day match against South Africa A.
The tour of Australia within the fresh twelve months will delight in three red-ball matches and kind allotment of the fabricate-as much as the Ashes assortment at the cease of 2025. As effectively as Tongue, spinners Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed will seemingly be allotment of the Lions squad with a belief to familiarise themselves with Australian stipulations.
The England senior men’s and women’s squads every leave the UK on Saturday for their tours of Recent Zealand and South Africa respectively.
