Josh Tongue Joins Elite Company, First England Bowler to Take MCG Test Five-For Since Dean Headley

Before the Melbourne Test, England's Josh Tongue had secured a four-wicket haul during the third Test at Adelaide Oval against Australia.

Josh Tongue Joins Elite Company, First England Bowler to Take MCG Test Five-For Since Dean Headley

Josh Tongue claimed a five-wicket haul on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at the MCG. (via BBC)

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While England might have had a tough time throughout the 2025-26 Ashes, Josh Tongue managed to etch his name in history books with a fifer in the fourth Test. The 28-year-old finished with figures of 5/45 during the first innings at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. 

The Three Lions have endured a difficult period, having already lost the five-match Ashes Test series to Australia. England lost the first Test in Perth by eight wickets, despite the bowlers putting up a good show in the first innings by dismissing the Aussies to a meager total of just 132 runs. While the visitors seemed off the both the second and third Tests, the visitors gained some ground in the fourth Test in Melbourne. 

Opting to bowl first, captain Ben Stokes and Co. managed to reduce the Australians to a meager first innings score of 152 runs, in 45.2 overs. Josh Tongue was the pick among the English bowlers, as he finished with career-best figures of 5/45 in his 11.2-over spell. His efforts were complemented by brilliant bowling from Gus Atkinson (2/28), Ben Stokes (1/25) and Brydon Carse (1/42).

On a surface that offered a rich seam and bounce, Josh Tongue used fuller-length deliveries to rip through Australia’s top order. His first wicket came in the 10th over, with Jake Weatherald edging a ball towards keeper Jamie Smith.

He then dismissed Marnus Labuschagne in the 12th over, before getting the better of Steve Smith for the third time in the series. The 28-year-old completed his five-wicket haul by scalping the wickets of Michael Neser and Scott Boland in the final over, to take his series tally to 10 wickets.

Tongue made history by taking a five-wicket haul, which was England’s first at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in 27 years. The right-arm fast bowler is the first Englishman to achieve this feat at the venue, since Dean Headley and Darren Gough in the 1998 Ashes. The spell was also the 28-year-old’s most productive in red-ball cricket, surpassing his previous best of 5/66 against Ireland at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in 2023. 

Tongue now stands as the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing Ashes series, and England’s third-highest behind Carse and Stokes. In eight Test matches so far, he boasts a remarkable tally of 41 wickets at an average of 27.05, including two four-wicket and three five-wicket hauls. 

Josh Tongue’s cricketing career over the years

Coming out of the small town of Redditch in Worcestershire, Josh Tongue has emerged as one of the foremost English pacers of the current era. He made his international Test debut against Ireland back in June 2023 and has featured in eight matches since then. 

Josh Tongue career
Josh Tongue has enjoyed a decent international as well as domestic cricket career so far. (via BBC)

Tongue boasts stellar numbers in first-class cricket, having played 63 matches since his debut for Worcestershire in March 2016. His bowling numbers make him one of England’s best in the current era, having bowled over 10,000 deliveries. Joshua Charles Tongue has scalped 236 wickets at a decent average of 26.18. He has taken 13 five-wicket hauls in total, with best figures of 6/97. 

Affectionately called ‘Jeevy Boy’, Tongue signed a three-year contract with Nottinghamshire in July 2023. In List A cricket, the fast bowler has taken 16 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 45.50. In 21 T20 matches in England’s domestic cricketing system and the Hundred, Tongue has scalped 29 wickets at a remarkable average of 19.03. In international cricket, the 28-year-old has 41 Test scalps to his name. 

Interestingly, Josh Tongue is among the few very English pacers who can bowl at high speeds. Moreover, the Manchester Originals star can also move the ball both ways with effective bounce, which was the reason behind him being picked to play for England.  

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