England add Worcestershire pacer Josh Tongue in squad for Ireland Test

25-year-old uncapped Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue has been called up to England's red-ball squad to face Ireland in a one-off Test commencing next week. The young pacer has been on the radar of the selectors for quite some time after a string of impressive performances in the domestic circuit.

It is a proud moment for Josh Tongue, who was considering early retirement from cricket due to a much-maligned shoulder injury that saw him miss 15 months of cricket. He has been part of Worcestershire since his academy days, representing the club at all levels after impressing in the junior ranks.

Earlier this year, the prodigious pacer was part of the England Lions' tour of Sri Lanka, featuring in their red-ball assignments of the series. Former England cricketer and current men's national selector Luke Wright revealed the necessity of introducing fresh faces in the squad to increase the depth of the squad for the upcoming summer. 

"We have been monitoring Josh (Tongue) for quite some time, and he deserves this call-up to the Test squad. It will be a great experience for him to understand and get used to the environment under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. 

"It is important to have players ready to respond and with a big summer of Test cricket coming up, we will need that depth to our squad. We wish Josh and the rest of the squad well for the first international of the campaign,” Luke Wright, England men’s national selector said.

England sweating on James Anderson and Ollie Robinson's fitness

Tongue is likely to cover for veteran English pacer James Anderson, who is nursing a groin injury. Meanwhile, Ollie Robinson is also suffering from an ankle issue and is unlikely to feature for the Three Lions in their four-day Test against Ireland at Lord's. The 25-year-old pacer joins Matthew Potts, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood in the fast bowling department for the match commencing on Thursday, June 1.