On a day where England impressively bowled Australia out in the third Ashes test at Headingly (with some thanks to our very own Stuart Broad), before losing the early wicket of Nottinghamshire opener Ben Duckett and falling overnight to 68/3, still 195 runs behind, there was brighter news at Trent Bridge as another England international was announced as incoming, bowler Josh Tongue who took five wickets in the second Ashes test at Lords, will be joining Nottinghamshire once his contract is up at Worcestershire at the end of this season.
Tongue will be joined by his Worcestershire Rapids teammate, a 6ft2in right arm fast bowler who is 24 years old and has England under 19 caps, representing the side in the 2018 World Cup.
Pennington stated “I’ve thought at length about how best to develop as a cricketer to achieve the ambitions I have in the game, and coming to Notts felt like the best way for me to do that at this point in my career.
“It is a brilliant set up, with a strong squad who I will benefit from playing alongside. Both learning from the quality in the bowling group and practicing against some of the best batters in the country will stand me in good stead.
“The opportunity to work with the coaching team here also stood out as a big factor, particularly Kevin Shine.
“With what he has done so far at Notts and the people he has worked with throughout his career, I am really looking forward to the chance to spend some time with him over the winter and into the season.
“I know the move is a challenging one, but that’ll keep pushing me to keep getting better and better, and that’s ultimately the reason for the move.”
Tongue made his debut for England in the win against Ireland at Lords earlier this summer and at 25 has a lot of potential, many regarding him as England’s best bowler verses Australia in the second test and unlucky not to make the cut for Headingley.
He stated “When I found out Notts were interested, I was delighted.
“From what I see and hear, it is a really well run club which places a big emphasis on player progress, which is what I want right now.
“I’ve worked a little bit before with Kevin Shine, and he is a big reason for joining, as I know he’ll help me to kick on. He and Pete have made it clear that they see me getting better here, which is nice to hear.
“The Notts squad is also full of international experience and I am looking forward to watching and learning from these players in practice as well as in games.
“Whilst I have had a bit of success recently which is really rewarding, I still want to keep improving and developing to be the best player I can be.
“I know that’ll take hard work, but the prospect of taking my cricket to the next level is something I really embrace.”
The two players will join the club ahead of the 2024 summer, offering Notts more speed and strength in the bowling attack.
*Main image @IndySport England bowler Josh Tongue signs for Notts.
