Friends and family of bowler Josh Tongue said his performance for England against Australia was a “dream come true”.
The former Redditch, Bromyard and Worcestershire cricketer took seven wickets in the fourth Ashes test at the MCG, England’s first test win down under in nearly 15 years.
The player will finish 2025 as the first England bowler to be named player of the match in an Ashes test in Australia since 1998, when Tongue was just a baby himself.
Tim Piper, the landlord of The Cricketers Arms in Redditch, went to Australia to watch with the bowler’s dad Phil Tongue and told BBC Hereford & Worcester even the home fans “couldn’t believe what they were seeing”.