London [UK], May 31 : Right-arm fast-medium pace bowler Josh Tongue will debut for England in their first Test of the summer against Ireland starting on Thursday.
Tongue was originally drafted into the team last Wednesday as cover for James Anderson and Ollie Robinson who were nursing groin and ankle injuries respectively.
The 25-year-old has picked up 11 wickets in four County Championship matches this season.
Anderson and Robinson were ruled off this week's match by the head coach of the England test cricket team, Brendon Barrie McCullum. Tongue will become Worcestershire's first Test debutant since Moeen Ali in 2014.
Due to a right shoulder problem that required two operations, he missed 15 months of cricket between 2021 and 2022. Following his confirmation of inclusion at Lord's, Tongue expressed his excitement.
"It's an amazing feeling. 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," Tongue was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) came up to me just before training finished and gave me the good news. I bowled at some of the lads on Monday, I felt like I bowled nicely and obviously, I must have bowled fairly well to get selected," Tongue further added.
England playing XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Jack Leach
Ireland squad: Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Matthew Foster, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.