England seamer Josh Tongue has Australia in his sights as he looks to end 18 months of injuries with a long-awaited return to Sydney.
Long before Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse made their impressive arrivals on the Test scene, Tongue was the promising seamer England chose to freshen up their pace attack.
In June 2023 he was at the top, taking five for 66 against Ireland on his international debut at Lord’s before returning later in the month for a highly charged Ashes clash.
The occasion is best remembered for Jonny Bairstow’s controversial standoff, but newcomer Tongue played a vital role for his side, dismissing David Warner and Steve Smith in both innings.
But the 27-year-old’s progress stalled just weeks later, suffering a freak pectoral injury that left him sidelined for a year before his planned return was undone by a hamstring problem .
He is finally eyeing a long-awaited return, training hard during the England Lions’ tour of Australia in the hope of being on the team sheet on January 29 for the unofficial Test against Australia A.
“It’s been a tough time, I feel like an unlucky boy but I hope I’ve had my share,” Tongue told the PA news agency.
“I’ve improved my fitness and, although I know I’m not 100 percent yet, I’m making good progress.
“If everything goes well in the next few weeks, I will put my name in the hat for the last match of the tour.
“The pecs feel great, they haven’t felt this good in ages, and it feels good to get back to my full swing. I played batting again, which I haven’t done in a while.
“The first time I played against Alex Davies I was just hoping not to hit the side netting but I clipped it at one point. I still have it!
England hopes that will be the case. Tongue remains highly rated and is likely to be back in Australia for next winter’s Ashes campaign if he returns to form with Nottinghamshire over the summer.
If that call comes, he already knows he has the skills needed.
“It was an incredible year for me in 2023 and I proved that I can take big wickets in big matches,” he said.
“I have a few family members and friends who like to mention (his Ashes wickets), but I know I can do it at this level. If I’m fit and playing well, I hope I can get back into this England team.
“I received a few messages. Baz (head coach Brendon McCullum) said to me, ‘stay strong through all of this, you’ll be fine on the other side’ and I saw (director of cricket) Rob Key at a camp in Cape Town .
“Everyone has stayed in touch over the past year and been very supportive. They just want to see me play again and that’s what I want too.
“It’s a big year ahead and anything can happen, as I know. I just want to finish this journey, start the season well with Notts and then we’ll see how it goes after that.
“I’m not putting any pressure on myself but it would be good to get a few overs under my belt and pick up a few wickets.”