Josh Tongue: "I was very tempted to pull the pin and retire"

The Worcestershire seamer, who has been selected in the England Lions squad to tour Sri Lanka later this month, almost left the game in 2022 as he struggled with a shoulder injury

Worcestershire seamer Josh Tongue has admitted that he came close to retiring from cricket during a 15-month spell out injured that only came to an end in August.

The 25-year-old, who saw three specialists before getting to the bottom of a nerve issue in his shoulder, was a surprise selection in the England Lions squad that will tour Sri Lanka later this month.

Speaking to The Cricketer for a separate interview about his recovery, he explained how he seriously considered "pulling the pin" on his career as he struggled to cope with the physical pain and mental anguish caused by the problem.

"When I went through those rough times, I was very tempted to pull the pin and retire and find something else to do," he said.

Tongue even met with the Professional Cricketers' Association to plan for a career beyond playing, with a move into coaching his likeliest route.

Two specialists were unable to solve the mystery, before a third – after an ultrasound scan displayed an impingement on his arm artery next to the rib – suggested an injection of Botox into his neck area, which succeeded in calming down the nerves. Within two months, he was back bowling again.

^{Josh Tongue almost quit the game in 2022 (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)}

"I didn't know if I'd be able to play cricket again," he added. "I've had to do a lot of gym and fitness work to get back, but I'm just glad that I was back playing for Worcester by the end of the year.

"It was affecting me in normal day stuff as well – not just training. I have two dogs, and just random stuff like mashing up some dogfood, my whole arm would go dead and I couldn't feel it. It was mentally draining outside of cricket, as well as in.

"I was in a dark place for those 15 months, just not knowing what was happening. But I'm just so glad I hung in there and stayed strong."

Tongue returned to action in time to play two Royal London Cup games and three County Championship fixtures in August and September, and he credited the birth of his son, Luca, for giving him the motivation to pull through for a comeback.

His involvement in Sri Lanka – where he has been selected as part of the squad for two four-day unofficial Tests – isn't his first time with the Lions. He was part of the ECB's pace programme as a teenager and was picked in the winter of 2017 after taking 47 first-class wickets that season for Worcestershire.

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