Ashes Scout: Publican wins motser from lash on young Tongue, Stokes delivers bad news, Hussain’s Bazball warning

The pub landlord at Josh Tongue’s local will collect £50,000 when he makes his Test debut for England against Ireland on Thursday after making an outlay of just £100 when the seam bowler was 11.

Tim Piper, from the Cricketers Arms pub in the Worcestershire town of Redditch, got odds of 500-1 with a bookmaker 14 years ago after he made the speculative lash on the junior cricketer he thought had what it took to go all the way.

“A couple of mates phoned me and said I should watch Sky Sports because he’s playing,” said Piper, a long-time friend of the Tongue family in an interview with the UK Telegraph. “I always thought they announced it on the day but I saw that he was playing! It’s wonderful.

“He was touch and go thinking of calling it a day and 12 months later here he is playing for England.