English fast bowler Josh Tongue will miss England's upcoming white-ball tour of the West Indies in December due to an injury sustained during the ongoing England Lions training camp in the United Arab Emirates. Matthew Potts has been selected in the squad as his replacement for the three-match ODI series which will commence in Antigua on December 3. However, the management is yet to announce a replacement for the five T20Is scheduled from December 12-21.
This setback is disappointing for Tongue, who delivered impressive performances in his two Test matches during the summer. The 26-year-old had been foreseeing his white-ball debut across formats for England, who are eyeing to revamp their white-ball setup following a poor ICC Cricket World Cup campaign in India, where they have won only three of their nine games in the league stage. His importance to the side was underscored in October after he secured a two-year central contract with the ECB (English and Wales Cricket Board).
Renowned for his skill in producing unpredictable bounce at speeds nearing 90mph, Tongue recently expressed his eagerness to refine his white-ball abilities during the forthcoming West Indies tour in a chat with ESPNcricinfo. He has only taken part in 15 List A and T20 domestic fixtures, in contrast to a total of 50 first-class matches, with 47 for his former county cricket club, Worcestershire. Barring any further injuries, the right-arm may have the chance to showcase his skills in the upcoming five-Test tour of India, set to commence in January.
"I think my pace will help in subcontinental conditions and I can get the ball to reverse as well and my bouncer tactic, which [Ben] Stokes obviously likes, will benefit the team," Tongue said prior to the Lions trip as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
For Matthew Potts, this opportunity marks a chance to expand on his limited exposure in the white-ball format. The 25-year-old had earlier earned a call-up for a solitary ODI game against South Africa in 2022 and participated in two additional matches versus Ireland just before the World Cup, with one game being washed out. Similar to Tongue, he was also rewarded with a two-year ECB contract for 2023-24, after his impressive performances during his debut Test summer in 2022.
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