Josh Tongue, the England and Nottinghamshire fast bowler, has opened up about his unusual career-saving Botox injections, his ambitions to be England's opening bowler, and the correct pronunciation of his surname. The 28-year-old, who made his Test debut in 2023, has endured a series of injuries that nearly forced him into early retirement.
Tongue, who stands 6ft 4in and can bowl above 90mph, revealed that his surname is pronounced 'Tongue as in T-U-N-G', not 'Tongue like T-O-N-G'. He laughed off the mispronunciations by commentators, saying: 'What is that? TONG?'
Despite a disastrous Ashes series for England, Tongue's wicket-taking was a bright spot. Introduced for the third Test with England already 2-0 down, he finished the campaign with 18 wickets from three matches. On Boxing Day in Melbourne, he took a five-wicket haul in front of a record-breaking 94,199 crowd at the MCG, with his family among them. 'That was the stuff dreams are made of,' he said. England won their first Test on Australian soil since 2011, and Tongue was named player of the match.
Tongue's career has been marked by highs and lows, including battles with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that caused pain and numbness in his arms and fingers. In 2022, he was close to retiring after multiple operations. 'We were in conversations with the PCA and going through all the insurance forms. It was heavy,' he said. A specialist suggested last-ditch Botox injections to relax the muscles, which allowed him to return to bowling within weeks. 'Six months later, I made my Test debut for England,' he added.
Further injuries, including a ruptured pectoral and torn hamstring, caused him to miss the entire 2024 season for Nottinghamshire. Now, he is working towards getting into prime condition for what could be a seminal summer. 'I'm just in the process of getting the loads back up, bowling three or four times a week,' he said. Tongue remains philosophical about selection, saying: 'I'm pretty chilled. I don't really ever have a bee in my bonnet if someone says I'm not playing.'
