Nottinghamshire’s faithful fans had to wait a year to see the debut of fast bowler Josh Tongue but all agreed that it was well worth the wait.
Having arrived from his native Worcestershire for the 2024 season, Tongue was injured and unable to play; thus he made his first First-Class appearance for his new county in the opening match of the 2025 season.
His immediate impact was, slightly unexpectedly, with bat rather than ball as he contributed a brisk 55 – his career best – to a Notts first innings of 579. He then demonstrated his bowling credentials, taking 5-66 when Durham batted a second time, setting up a straightforward run chase for victory.
Curiously, those exact figures matched his best Test return, made against Ireland at Lord’s in 2003, when he was still with Worcestershire.
His early season form in 2005 swiftly earned him a recall to the Test side for the three matches in the series against India; he finished with 21 wickets, including 5-125 at The Oval. His ability to run through the lower order batting earned him the nickname ‘The Mop’ from Notts and England teammate Ben Duckett.
Josh Tongue was selected for the 2025/25 Ashes tour alongside Duckett.
In Notts matches, he continued his excellent form, taking 31 wickets at 22.03 with 5-44 versus Sussex as his season’s best. Probably the standout performance, though was in the crucial away fixture against defending champions Surrey. Tongue took 5-100 as Surrey failed in their run chase, clinching the vital bowling bonus point – and thus putting Notts in prime position in the table – when he had Tom Lawes caught by Ben Slater.
Joshua Charles Tongue was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, on 15 November 1997 and attended King’s School and Worcester Sixth Form College prior to joining his home county. He had represented Worcester through age-group cricket and played one Under-19 Test for England before being selected for the Ireland Test; he also played in one Test against Australia, taking five wickets in the Second Test, at Lord’s.
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number 680
October 2025
Josh Tongue’s career stats (to date) can be seen here