England already don't have Mark Wood and Jofra Archer
England suffered a massive setback ahead of the five-match Test series against India as key pacer Josh Tongue hobbled off the pitch during Day 3 of the second four-day game for England Lions against India A.
Tongue had missed the entirety of 2024 and more than half of 2023 season due to a series of injuries and health issues. The 27-year-old tore his hamstring during The Hundred 2023 just after returning from an aggravated pectoral muscle injury.
He finally returned in early 2025 during the shadow tour of Australia in January and played two matches. He then went on to play the County Championship 2025 for his domestic side Nottinghamshire and claimed 15 wickets from three matches which got him back into the national team for the lone Test against Zimbabwe last month.
He was then named alongside Chris Woakes, another pacer returning from a serious ankle injury, in England Lions’ playing XI for the second India A match in Northampton to prove his fitness for the England Test series.
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Tongue was able to bowl just four overs in the second innings before walking off the field. This is a huge setback for England as they are without key pacers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood for the first Test in Leeds starting from June 20.
The likes of Olly Stone and Gus Atkinson are also out with injuries, prompting England selectors to go with Tongue, Woakes, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton.
If Tongue is unable to be ready for the series or just the first Test like Archer, it is likely England will call-up Matthew Potts for the Leeds Test.
It is a big blow for Tongue who has been struggling with injuries all his career. Even before his Test debut in 2023 against Ireland, the then 25-year-old had contemplated retirement from professional cricket due to a neurological condition called thoracic outlet syndrome which caused compression of the nerves and blood vessels connecting his neck and shoulders.
After receiving treatment for the condition for 15 months, Tongue played three Tests including an Ashes Test at Lord’s in June 2023.
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