NASSER HUSSAIN: Josh Tongue provides a point of difference at 90mph, Jonny Bairstow impresses behind the stumps and 50s for the opening pair cap a good day for England against Ireland at Lord’s
That was a really good work-out in the field for England. All their bowlers were very impressive and added different attributes to the attack.
This Test has to be about beating Ireland but England must have one eye on what comes next and both aims were served well on this first day of the Test summer at Lord’s.
I have not seen Josh Tongue live with the red ball – I’ve only really seen him playing for Worcestershire on streams – and you could see immediately why England picked him here.
Tongue looks big and strong and bowled at more than 90 miles per hour while providing a point of difference to the England attack in the absence of the injured Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Brydon Carse.
England’s stock is high in fast-medium bowlers but they haven’t got too much fit back up for Mark Wood and they were right to play him in this Test because they know what they will get should they pick Chris Woakes in the Ashes.
Josh Tongue impressed on debut not just with his speeds but also for his accuracy at Lord’s
tongue is one of the only fit bowlers England have capable of 90mph speeds to back up Mark Wood
Ireland sat in on Jack Leach and simply let the spinner bowl at them – dismissing Paul Stirling as one of his three wickets on day one
You look at speeds but you also need accuracy and Tongue was very accurate even though perhaps England overdid the short bowling with him. There was not really any need for that unless Stokes wanted to see how he was equipped to fulfil that role this summer.
The other thing Tongue does well is create angles in his action by leaning towards the off-side, a bit like Stokes when he bowls, so the ball looks like it’s coming into the right-handers but leaves them and makes them play at balls they don’t have to.
Tongue received his England cap from Jimmy Anderson and then had Stuart Broad giving him a pat of encouragement before he had even bowled a ball. Can you imagine how much confidence that must have given him?
Matthew Potts bowled well, too, even though his first spell to the right-hander was a little bit pretty and wide. After lunch, when he came round the wicket to the left-hander and used the Lord’s slope brilliantly to nip the ball back in and hold the line, he was rewarded when Andy McBrine nicked off.
And Jack Leach bowled nicely even though the issue for him will be when Australia come at him, as their left-handers in particular surely will. Here Ireland sat in on Leach and let him bowl. Australia simply won’t do that.
But the star of the show was Broad, who is simply high class. This was Broad’s 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and he was outstanding in bowling that fuller length this England regime have encouraged him to do.
Broad brought the stumps into play and, in the absence of Anderson, got first use of the Pavilion End where he actually has a much better record at Lord’s.
It is tempting to wonder whether Broad would have got even more Test wickets without Anderson being around but, fact is, the two of them have kept each other going and have shared their skills in partnership over the years.
Ben Duckett made an impressive 50 as England made quick progress in the evening session
Ben Stokes’ captaincy was once again outstanding on the opening day of the one-off four-day Test
England’s catching was good and that will be important in the Ashes because the last thing they will want is to give chances to Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne before they have got going.
And they will be encouraged by Jonny Bairstow’s return behind the stumps. His catching and movement were good and it was particularly pleasing to see him diving to his left and testing out that leg he broke so badly at the end of last summer.
To complete the performance Stokes captaincy was outstanding again. It’s just the subtle little things, like moving mid-wicket straight into leg-slip when Harry Tector came in and then seeing him steer Broad straight to Potts there second ball.
Add the half centuries for Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett before the close and this was a good day for England, one they needed at the start of a big summer.