Anderson and Robinson were ruled out of this week’s match by head coach Brendon McCullum on Monday, and Mark Wood returned home on Tuesday evening to spend time with his family following the birth of his second child last week.
While Woakes was initially expected to the side for the first time in 14 months – especially after being put up for media duties at Lord’s on Tuesday – Tongue has stolen a march on him.
Speaking on Tuesday after the announcement of the team, Tongue, who will be Test cap number 711, said: “It’s an amazing feeling. [I’m] speechless, really. Even from when I got the first call-up to be in the squad… now being in the actual team, it’s just a dream come true really.
“Baz came up to me just before training finished today. I had just finished a gym session, actually, and he came up to me and gave me the good news.”
Tongue’s inclusion was the only surprise in England’s XI, with Ben Stokes carded to bat at No. 6 and Jonny Bairstow returning to the side at No. 7 and keeping wicket after missing their winter commitments through injury.
His red-ball experience overall has been limited, and he has 11 wickets in Division Two this season. One of those was Steve Smith, trapping him LBW for 30 and thus becoming the first English bowler to dismiss him this summer.
“He looks like he bowls quite fast and has some real skills. He is obviously a bit of a rough diamond.”
Brendon McCullum on Tongue’s attributes
While his season average with the red ball is 41.45, Tongue has made an impression with his sharp pace and bounce which give him a point of difference among those available for the Ireland Test. His overall numbers are impressive, with 162 wickets at an average of 26.04 from 47 matches.
“I bowled at some of the lads on Monday,” Tongue said. “I felt like I bowled nicely and obviously I was going in with no expectations to be playing at all and just bowling at high-class players at the nets was just good for me. I must have bowled fairly well to get selected.”
Evidently, he made a strong impression, both on McCullum and Stokes. At a time when the pace options of Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse are unavailable for the foreseeable future through injuries, Tongue has an opportunity to underline his worth as a point of difference for England’s attack going into the Ashes.
“He’s a big strong lad, that’s for sure,” McCullum said on Monday. “He looks like he bowls quite fast and has some real skills. He is obviously a bit of a rough diamond. He’s had some injuries throughout his career and it is nice for a guy like him to be able to have an extended period of time where he has been injury-free this summer to push his case.
“We think he has got something really exciting and hence we brought him into the squad. Whether he plays in this Test or throughout the summer, I am not sure, but again he is another one who looks like he has an immense amount of talent.”
The news caps off a dramatic shift in fortunes for Tongue. He contemplated retirement last summer after missing 15 months between 2021 and 2022 with a nerve problem in his right shoulder. The issue, called thoracic outlet syndrome, required two surgeries and botox injections to rectify.
“I’m just proud of myself and how I held in there,” he said. “I was very close to retiring just due to my shoulder. Having two operations, seeing a lot of specialists and I was in a really dark place.
“I don’t think there’s that many bowlers who have been in the same situation as me. Obviously nearly retiring, then getting called up to the Lions in Sri Lanka in the winter and now obviously getting called into the Test squad. I’m just proud of myself, really.
“Since I was a young kid, I always dreamed about playing for England. Knowing I stuck in there shows that mentally I was in a good place and it’s come good.”
His appearance on Thursday will be a point of pride for Worcestershire. Having been at the county since the age of six, he will be their first Test debutant since Moeen Ali in 2014.
“It’s going to be a massive thing for Worcester,” said Tongue. “Playing from the age of six years old, going through the age groups to getting my first professional contract, there are a lot of people at Worcester who have influenced my career. I’m just thankful to all those who have helped me on my journey.”
This will also be Tongue’s first match at Lord’s, though he has been in the stands as a fan for Test matches in the past with his family. Both his parents, his brother, his partner and his child will be in attendance for his debut. He anticipates his dad will be particularly emotional, having coached him early in his career.
Amusingly, Tongue came into the squad and found some of his kit had been misspelt, which perhaps gives an indication of the hasty nature of his initial inclusion. “My helmet box was spelt a bit different – instead of ‘Tongue”, it was ‘Tounge’.”
One imagines they will have corrected their mistake for the shirt come Thursday. “Fingers crossed,” Tongue laughed.
England XI vs Ireland: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Matthew Potts, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 Jack Leach.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo