Josh Tongue is an English cricketer who plays Test cricket for England and represents Nottinghamshire at the county level. He previously played for Worcestershire. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler and bats right-handed. Tongue first stood out in 2017 when he was only 19 years old. He finished that Championship season with 47 wickets and also made his England Under-19 Test debut in the same summer.
Tongue made his England Test debut in 2023 against Ireland at Lord’s. He had originally joined the squad as injury cover before the Ashes, but his performances impressed head coach Brendon McCullum. A ruptured pectoral muscle and a torn hamstring forced him to miss the entire 2024 season, which was supposed to be his first year with Nottinghamshire. He returned fully fit in 2025 and earned another chance with the England Test team. His five-wicket haul at The Oval helped Nottinghamshire beat Surrey and secure the title.
Josh Tongue Records and Achievements
Josh Tongue made his first-class debut for Worcestershire against Oxford MCC University in March 2016. He made his List A debut for Worcestershire in the 2017 Royal London One-Day Cup on 5 May 2017. He was selected in England’s XI for the one-off Test against Ireland in May 2023 and made his Test debut on 1 June 2023.
In January 2025, Tongue was included in the England Lions squad for the tour of Australia. He returned to the England Test team in the summer of 2025 and played in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and the five-match Test series against India. His best performance in the series was a five-wicket haul of 5 for 125 in the third innings of the fifth Test at The Oval.
Josh Tongue Career Stats
In Test cricket, Josh Tongue has bowled in 14 innings and taken 36 wickets. His best bowling figures in an innings are 5 for 66. He has taken two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. With the bat in Tests, he has played 9 innings and scored 41 runs.
In first-class cricket, he has bowled in 111 innings and taken 236 wickets. His best bowling figures are 6 for 97. In first-class batting, he has played 81 innings and scored 841 runs.
In List A cricket, Josh Tongue has bowled in 15 innings and taken 16 wickets. His best bowling figures are 2 for 35. As a batter in List A matches, he has played 8 innings and scored 99 runs.
In T20 cricket, he has bowled in 21 innings and taken 29 wickets. His best bowling figures are 3 for 21. With the bat in T20s, he has played 5 innings and scored 7 runs.
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Inns | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 14 | 36 | 5/66 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| FC | 111 | 236 | 6/97 | 10 | 13 | 0 |
| List A | 15 | 16 | 2/35 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20s | 21 | 29 | 3/21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Inns | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 9 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| FC | 81 | 841 | 0 | 1 | 107 | 0 |
| List A | 8 | 99 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| T20s | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Josh Tongue’s Personal Life
Josh Tongue describes himself as an introvert who prefers to stay quiet off the field, but he says his personality changes once he steps onto the pitch. He feels more open and expressive when he is playing, and cricket allows him to enjoy the moment even under pressure. He believes smiling and enjoying the game is important, no matter how the match is going.
Josh Tongue Contract
Josh Tongue has been awarded a two-year England central contract. The contract runs until September 2027. He is 28 years old and returned to action in 2025 after missing the 2024 summer due to injury. During the season, he took 54 wickets in red-ball cricket. The England and the Wales Cricket Board awarded him the contract to secure his services for the national team and manage his workload across formats.
Josh signed a three-year contract with Nottinghamshire ahead of the 2024 season. The deal was agreed upon in July 2023 after he decided to move from Worcestershire. Tongue had taken 172 first-class wickets at an average of 26.02 before joining Nottinghamshire. The contract also brought him together with former Worcestershire teammate Dillon Pennington, who joined Nottinghamshire at the same time.
FAQs
Q. How fast is Josh Tongue?
A. Josh has been clocked bowling at speeds up to 149 km/h.
Q. How many Test matches has Josh Tongue played?
A. Josh has played 7 Test matches for England.
Q. What type of bowler is Josh Tongue?
A. Josh is a fast strike bowler for England.
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