Josh Tongue: How England pacer made an Englishman Millionaire

The England pacer made his debut for Worcestershire in 2017, and slowly has made his mark through the country ranks. He was included in the England squad for the Ireland Test and has made his debut in the ongoing match.

Although the bowler couldn’t pick up a wicket in the first innings, Tongue’s debut for England has poured enormous joy and money for an English punter.

One lucky punter named Tim Piper, who had a long-term belief in Josh Tongue, placed a cheeky bet on him playing for England in a Test match in future some 14 years ago. And after Tongue’s debut against Ireland, Piper has earned himself 50,000 pounds.

The punter got a 500/1 odd at that time and he has turned his 100-pound bet into a 50,000-pound windfall, which is INR 50 Lakh or 5 million in Indian rupees.

And the punter confirmed BBC Sport that he still has that bet slip in a cupboard.

“I’ve kept the ber slip in a cupboard all these years,” Piper told BBC Sport.

“I just thought to myself it must be worth 100 pounds. That is just a bonus for him to get in the Test team,” he said.

Tongue was a spinner back in those days, and Piper had seen enough in the youngster. The 25-year-old switched to fast bowling when he moved to Worcestershire, where he has picked up 162 wickets in first-class cricket.

The youngster got himself included in the squad due to the uncertainty of James Anderson, and it is to be seen how many more Tests he plays in the future.