Ashes 2023 | Twitter reacts as Josh Tongue’s absolute peach of a delivery sends David Warner packing with broken stumps
When two star-studded teams go head-to-head, a relatively unfamiliar name more often than not takes centre stage to surprise the spectators. Josh Tongue is having one such match against Australia, and the delivery with which he rattled David Warner before it broke the leg stump left everyone in awe.
A day before the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, England made a surprise move by bringing in Josh Tongue in the playing XI in place of Moeen Ali. Tongue, 25, recently made his debut against Ireland, in which he took five wickets across both innings. However, coming as a replacement for Moeen, who was their only specialist spin bowler in the Edgbaston Test and that too after coming out of retirement from red-ball cricket, raised many eyebrows.
But Tongue took little time to prove the critics wrong, as he dismissed both Australian openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner inside his first seven overs. More significantly, the manner in which he castled a well-set Warner (66 off 88 balls) caught more attention than anything else.
It was the fifth ball of the over by Tongue which was a nip-backer from round the wicket. Warner tried to drive it, but the late swing beat his defence before hitting the top of the leg stump. Although the delivery was clocked at 83mph, it broke a large chunk of the leg stump with the pace. Warner had no clue how the ball went on to rattle the stumps before he began slowly to start walking back to the pavilion.
Two for Tongue!
Warner GONE! 🤩
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 28, 2023
S̶t̶u̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶B̶r̶o̶a̶d̶ Josh Tongue gets his man! #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/3sw6FSU2To
What a delivery this is!
— Spider Rashid (@RashidSpider) June 28, 2023
Broke the stumps!
— Spider Rashid (@RashidSpider) June 28, 2023
Decent batting! Tremendous bowling!
Well played david Warner. He scored 66 runs in 88 balls in overcast conditions. Josh tongue gets his second wicket.#Ashes23 pic.twitter.com/pmK2iFFAiC
— Aman Awasthi (@AwasiAman17) June 28, 2023
That was unplyable!
2nd wicket for Josh Tongue, before Khawaja, now Warner, David Warner dismissed for 66(96). #TheAshes #ENGvAUS
— Resanth. (@CricResanth) June 28, 2023
He completly missed it!
Second wicket for tounge, Warner, so many misses in this innings, 2nd ashes, pic.twitter.com/g1knEcll2H
— Krishnamoorthy V (@krishna57606041) June 28, 2023
That was much needed!
Tongue strikes with very important wicket of Warner, who looked dangerous #ENGvsAUS #Ashes23
— Jacques Cupido (@jacquescupido12) June 28, 2023
He took it!
#Joshtongue is the Man who Take this Main Wicket #Warner.#Lords #Ashes23
— Amandeep Sharma (@amansharma6723) June 28, 2023
Big fish!
Warner gone. Big wicket !
— karthik (@chelseaKar_) June 28, 2023
He did great hered!
TONGUE TIED
— Paul Murphy (@the_pabloman) June 28, 2023
Australia lose a second wicket and it’s that man Tongue again!
It was some delivery that bowled Warner out for 66, clipping the top of leg stump.
I think he’s actually broken the stump. Tongue bowling at some pace here!