ENG vs AUS: Who is Josh Tongue? 25-year-old replaces Moeen Ali for second Ashes test

England head into the second Test of the Ashes 2023 series against Australia, sticking to their Bazball approach despite losing out a closely fought series opener. Australia won the first Ashes Test by a mere margin of two wickets on Day 5 at Edgbaston. Both teams are now set to lock horns in the second Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, starting on Wednesday, July 28.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Ashes 2023 is Ben Stokes’ 1st Ashes series as the England Test captain
• England haven’t won the coveted Ashes series since 2015
• Moeen Ali is set to miss the 2nd Test of Ashes 2023 at Lord’s

ALSO READ | England Vs Australia Ashes 2023 2nd Test Live Score: Who Will Steal The Show At Lord's?

Ashes 2023: Moeen Ali gets replaced by 25-year-old Josh Tongue for Lord’s Test

As England’s playing XI for the second Ashes Test was announced on Tuesday, veteran spinner Moeen Ali was a notable omission from the XI. While all other players retained their places, Ali was replaced by 25-year-old Josh Tongue. This makes England’s bowling attack for the Lord’s Test, an all-seam attack.

Who is Josh Tongue? All you need to know the 25-year-old speedster

Born in Redditch, UK on November 15, 1997, Josh is a right-arm fast-medium bowler, who grew up playing cricket for Worcestershire. After impressing everyone in first-class cricket, he went on to make his international debut for England earlier this month during the one-off Test match against Ireland. He left an impression on coach Brendon McCullum with his pace, bounce, and attitude while also taking a fifer against Ireland.

ALSO READ | Ashes 2023: Ollie Robinson Finds Some Support From His Vice-captain Ahead Of Lord's Test

Moreover, Tongue has played 48 first-class games in his career so far and has returned with 167 wickets at an average of 25.90. He will now be one of the stars in the English bowling lineup for the second Ashes Test. As per ESPNcricinfo, Australia have shortlisted 12 players for the Lord’s Test with one of Mitchell Starc or Scott Boland likely to miss out.

England’s playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, James Anderson

Australia’s playing XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland/Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood