Josh Tongue has had enough of hearing his surname mangled. In his own view, there is no mystery to it: “Tongue” should rhyme with “T-U-N-G,” not be stretched into something else. The England and Nottinghamshire fast bowler says the mispronunciations have followed him since his Test debut in 2023, and he is keen to put the record straight.
The 28-year-old’s complaint begins with a light tone, but it speaks to a career that has already involved plenty of hard-earned resilience. Tongue is speaking from his three-year-old son’s playroom, where the setting may be domestic but the subject is serious: a fast bowler whose body has tested his ambition, and whose future in the game has depended on unusual medical intervention.
A career altered by injury and treatment
Tongue has revealed that he underwent Botox injections that helped save his career. The treatment was not part of the usual conversation around elite cricket, but for him it became an important step in dealing with the physical problems that threatened to hold him back.
For a pace bowler, any setback can have major consequences. Rhythm, repetition and confidence are essential, and injury can quickly interrupt all three. Tongue’s path has therefore not been a simple climb, but one shaped by setbacks, recovery and persistence. The treatment he received has given him a chance to keep pushing forward rather than looking back.
That determination is central to how Tongue speaks about his present and future. He is not just focused on returning to the field; he wants to define his place within England’s attack. His ambition is clear and direct: he wants to become England’s opening bowler.
Looking to make an impact for England
For Tongue, that goal is not merely a dream attached to future selection. It is the standard he is setting for himself. England’s pace attack has long been a fiercely contested space, and Tongue knows that earning a role at the front of it will require consistency, durability and performances that demand attention.
His Test debut in 2023 marked an important step, but the next stage of his career is about establishing himself more firmly. That includes proving he can stay fit, continue to develop, and deliver the kind of bowling that makes him a serious option at the highest level. The unusual treatment that helped him through difficulties has given him a platform to focus again on those ambitions.
Tongue’s interview also shows the lighter side of life as an England cricketer. The repeated jokes about his name have become part of the public noise around him, but he is happy enough to correct the record. What matters more to him is what comes next on the pitch.
From frustration to opportunity
In many ways, Tongue’s story is one of navigating frustration without losing direction. Injuries have complicated the journey, and the use of Botox injections underlines just how far he has had to go to keep his career moving. Yet the result is not a player looking backward in regret. Instead, he appears determined to turn that experience into momentum.
That outlook matters for Nottinghamshire as well as England. A fit and confident Tongue gives both teams a fast-bowling option with genuine promise. His ambition to lead England’s attack will not be achieved overnight, but it is the sort of target that reflects both self-belief and a clear sense of purpose.
For now, Tongue remains focused on the basics: staying available, bowling well and making sure the cricket world finally gets his name right. The rest, as far as he is concerned, can follow from there.
