27 June 2023 , 17:00
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Ben Stokes has told Josh Tongue to let the handbrake off and get stuck into the Aussie batsmen with his extra pace.
In the absence of Mark Wood, who is not quite match fit, Stokes has turned to the 25-year-old Worcestershire seamer as part of a four pronged pace attack to turn this Ashes series on its head. And when it comes to peppering the batters with a bit of short stuff, Tongue is his man.
“Woody wasn't sure if he’d be able to give what he's known for throughout this Test match,” said Stokes. “Tonguey has been brought in as a like-for-like replacement and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue his great start.
“I think he’s really looking forward to the challenge and I’m looking forward to using him in that fourth seamer role. I was impressed with the different roles he played against Ireland and we used him to attack with the short ball plan. It’s always nice having someone who can bowl 90 mph doing it.
“On this pitch there is quite a lot of grass on it and we felt we would get more out of Tonguey in that role. Just having that versatility as a bowler this week is going to be very useful.”
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It could be a high octane clash with Joe Root providing the only spin option for England as their seamers, including Stokes, try to make the most of the verdant surface.
Josh Tongue was the surprise inclusion in the XI for the second test at Lord'sAnd as you would expect from a lively character such as Stokes, he has given Ollie Robinson his full backing to continue his aggressive approach even as former Australian greats carp from the sidelines.
“What is Ashes cricket without a little bit of comment from past players?” Stokes said. “It’s not the only time that the emotions of professional sport came out in that form.
“He’s been a quality performer every time he has walked onto the field for England and his performances have proven that.
“I won’t be having a word with him, saying rein yourself in. You don’t want to take something away from a player that gets the best out of him. He loves the competition. It’s professional sport, emotions are high, it’s an Ashes series.”
Ben Stokes has no intention of telling Ollie Robinson to 'rein it in' despite criticism from the AussiesStokes also revealed that he and his Bazballers are starting to reach parts they haven’t done before with a non-cricket fan approaching him at his local health club.
“Lots of people have been coming up to me about the Ashes,” he said. “I had a conversation in a men’s changing-room at a spa about the game, which was a bit awkward. He said, ‘are you the cricketer or do you just look like him?’
“He just said ‘I went down to the pub after work and I don’t even follow cricket, but I was just going to go down for a quick few’ and he ended up having a few more and just said he was just transfixed on the game.”