Josh Tongue Says Joe Root’s Standards Message Has Landed With England

Josh Tongue says England’s Test squad has understood a direct message from captain Joe Root about the standards expected of international players. The Guardian reported that Root addressed the group at Lord’s this week, with Tongue describing the conversation as necessary and saying its message had fully registered with the players.

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Tongue said Root was clear about what it means to represent England and emphasized the privilege of wearing the national shirt. The 28-year-old fast bowler said the squad must act as professionally as possible and present a positive example to young people who hope to play for England. He added that the players now need to move forward from previous incidents.

The discussion followed a period in which England players faced scrutiny over off-field conduct. Last November, Tongue was with Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell at a Wellington nightclub when Brook was punched by a bouncer on the night before a one-day international. Brook was fined and received a final warning over his conduct, while Bethell was cautioned for breaching team rules. Tongue, who was not part of the ODI squad, was not disciplined.

Tongue acknowledged that the Wellington episode prompted him to reflect on his own standards, but said his focus is now on cricket. Since then, he has established himself in England’s Test side, made his T20 and ODI debuts, and won the Hundred with Manchester Super Giants. He said he feels in a strong place after achieving his ambition of representing England in all three international formats.

The bowler also revealed that Stephen Fleming, England’s incoming red-ball coach, has already been communicating with players before formally beginning his role after the Pakistan Test series. According to Tongue, Fleming contacted him before the first Test, congratulated him on winning the Hundred and wished him luck, then sent another message after Tongue took five wickets on the opening day.

Pakistan, meanwhile, are set to regain Babar Azam after he missed the opening match with a finger injury. Babar said the team’s senior players must take responsibility as Pakistan try to respond to a run of five defeats in six Tests. He said the squad reviewed its mistakes from the previous week and must now believe in itself and play better cricket.