On the eve of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, England surprised everyone with their lineup change, introducing Josh Tongue into the playing XI instead of Moeen Ali. At 25 years old, Tongue had recently made his debut against Ireland, where he showcased his talent by taking five wickets across both innings.
However, Tongue’s inclusion as a replacement for Moeen, the sole specialist spin bowler in the previous Edgbaston Test who had come out of retirement from red-ball cricket, raised eyebrows among cricket enthusiasts.
Yet, Tongue swiftly silenced his critics as he swiftly dismissed both Australian openers, Usman Khawaja and David Warner, within his initial seven overs. The manner in which he dismantled Warner (scoring 66 off 88 balls), shattering his stumps, grabbed attention due to its sheer brilliance.
During Tongue’s over, the fifth ball, delivered from around the wicket, darted back sharply. Warner attempted to drive the ball, but the late swing deceived his defense, resulting in the ball crashing into the top of the leg stump.
Warner GONE! 🤩
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2023
S̶t̶u̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶B̶r̶o̶a̶d̶ Josh Tongue gets his man! #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/3sw6FSU2To
Despite being clocked at 83mph, the delivery carried such force that it splintered a significant portion of the leg stump. Warner appeared clueless as he watched his stumps being shattered before slowly making his way back to the pavilion.