England has been dealt a significant blow with the news that fast bowler Josh Tongue has suffered a setback with his pectoral injury, sidelining him indefinitely.
Despite not having played since August last year, Tongue was among the top candidates to replace James Anderson following Anderson’s sudden retirement from Test cricket after the first Test against the West Indies.
Tongue has been struggling with a pectoral issue since his impressive performances in two Test matches last year. This injury kept him out of England’s white-ball tour of the Caribbean and the ICC World Test Championship series in India earlier this year.
The latest setback means Tongue will miss England’s upcoming three-match series at home against the West Indies and casts doubt on his availability for the subsequent three-match series against Sri Lanka.
A statement from England read: “Josh has had a setback to his original injury. There is no timescale on when he’ll return to action.”
Tongue made a sensational debut for England with a five-wicket haul in the second innings of their one-off Test against Ireland. He further impressed with another five-wicket performance in the second Ashes Test against Australia at Lord’s.
Tongue had been seen as a potential successor to Anderson, who retired from Test cricket after the first Test of England’s summer against the West Indies at Lord’s in early July.
