Thanks to an indiscriminate 14-year-old bet, a pub landlord on the outskirts of the English city of Birmingham will become £50,000 (around 51 lakh rupees) richer after British fast bowler Josh Tongue made his England Test debut against Ireland at Lord’s on Thursday.
Tim Piper saw Tongue, his family friend, play backyard cricket at the age of 11 and took a punt at astronomical 500-1 odds that he would go on to be an England cricketer. It was a bet that has now put him on the global map.
“It’s been amazing, absolutely wonderful,” he told SEN. “I never dreamt it would be this popular and people in the pub can see me talking to people in America, India, Australia, they’ve got friends messaging them saying, ‘what the hell happened in Redditch.”
With his mum, dad, partner and son all watching on…
Jimmy Anderson presents Josh Tongue with his very first England cap ❤️🧢
A special moment for the whole family 👨👩👦
Congratulations, Josh 👏 pic.twitter.com/FTew4m8y1o
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 1, 2023
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Piper said that he wasn’t aware that Tongue was set to make his debut until Tuesday, when a friend rang him up to give him the good news. “I saw that he was starting so obviously ran upstairs, got the betting slip out of the cupboard, it’s been next to my passport for the last 14 years,” he said. “I thought I bet to check this slip but I wrote it and read it correctly.”
More than the fortune he amassed through his belief in Tongue’s talent, Piper was glad for the bowler’s family that put so much work in to realise the cricekt dream.
“Even though it’s £50,000 to me, a lovely amount, but I’m so happy for the family,” Piper added. “This is a friend of mine for 35 years, this is his son and I see the work him and his wife have put in to chase this boy around England for the last 25 years. It’s wonderful for the family and they were on the pitch today when he got his cap presented by Jimmy Anderson. Just a fairytale.”
Tongue was handed his debut on Thursday and was put to task immediately as England bowled first. Used conservatively, the 25-year-old got figures of 0-40 in 13 overs as the bulk of the wicket-taking duties were performed by Stuart Broad, who got the 20th five-for of his career, as Ireland were bowled out for 172 on the first day.