He is yet to make his white-ball debut for England.
England announced their 15-member provisional squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on December 30, 2025. The squad had a few surprises, including Josh Tongue, who received a call-up out of nowhere after starring in England’s first Ashes victory on Australian soil in 15 years.
The two-time former winners have added Jofra Archer, who is recovering from a side strain injury he sustained during the Ashes 2025. Brydon Carse was surprisingly left out of the squad, with Luke Wood, Jamie Overton, and Sam Curran being the other seam options.
Amidst all this, the inclusion of Josh Tongue is a curious case. The speedster has not played a single white-ball international game for England yet, but will travel to India and Sri Lanka for the marquee event.
Josh Tongue has risen through the ranks pretty rapidly as England have been hit with injuries in recent months. Mark Wood could only play one Test in the Ashes Down Under before getting ruled out. Gus Atkinson has also been sidelined after the fourth game. That has definitely played a part in Tongue receiving this call-up, but he has also leapfrogged a fit Brydon Carse.
Tongue was the standout bowler for England in the MCG Test, where he took seven for 89 in the match to help them clinch the victory. He also took four for 70 in the second innings of the third Test. Head coach Brendon McCullum is heavy on attributes, and Tongue is blessed with those. He is tall, he can swing the ball, he can seam the ball, and he can bowl at a good pace consistently.
It is not just attributes, however, that have earned him the World Cup ticket. Josh Tongue was outstanding in The Hundred earlier this year, where he was one of the bright spots for Manchester Originals. He played six games in the season and bagged 14 wickets at an economy of 8.08. He was superb in the middle overs in particular, using his slower balls to great effect.
That performance and his recent form were enough for the team management to take a punt on him. The lack of white-ball experience means he might not be the starter in the playing XI, but the three-match series against Sri Lanka in late January will offer him a chance to push his case further. One thing for sure, Tongue has the skill set and the X factor to succeed in the subcontinent conditions.
ALSO READ:
Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, and Luke Wood.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
