The Highs and Lows of Phil Tufnell's England Career
Twenty-three years ago Thursday, Phil Tufnell, playing in just his seventh Test match, propelled England to an emphatic innings victory against New Zealand in Christchurch when he claimed figures of seven for 47 across the final two days at Lancaster Park from a herculean 46.1 overs.
With his energetic approach to the crease and an ability to get the ball to curve and dip in the air, the left-armer slowly tore through the home side on a wicket that was as lifeless as they come.
In doing so, Tufnell claimed the ninth-best bowling figures in history by an English spinner away from home and totalled 11 wickets for the match.
In a blistering start to his Test career, it was Tufnell's finest performance.
But thereafter the Englishman's career became a topsy-turvy affair, as his excellence with the ball became caught up with a shambolic decade in English cricket and a series of off-field indiscretions.
Across the following slides, we reflect on the highs and lows of Tufnell's England career.
Low: Frustration on Test Debut vs. Australia (1990)
1 of 11
The 1990-91 Ashes series will never be looked back upon fondly by England. And despite making his Test debut on that tour, for the most part, Tufnell won't do so either.
With his side 1-0 down after a thrashing in the first Test in Brisbane, the left-arm spinner made his debut in the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In a eight-wicket mauling, Tufnell went wicketless in 45 overs across both innings.
But, as recounted in his autobiography What Now? (via ESPN Cricinfo's Martin Williamson), that didn't stop the Englishman making the headlines:
"On the last afternoon, Tufnell walked past the umpire, Peter McConnell, and asked how many deliveries were left. The response was not as expected: 'Count 'em yourself you Pommie ----.'"
As Tufnell recalled in the autobiography (via Williamson), a heated exchange took place, with England captain Graham Gooch confronting McConnell.
But the worst part came later, when Australia's David Boon "got a thick nick into Jack Russell's gloves" but was given not out by the umpire.
"You f-----g bastard," Tufnell barked at the umpire after the decision, per the autobiography (via Williamson). "Now, you can't talk to me like that," McConnell replied.
McConnell was gone from the game a year later, but the incident gave Tufnell a wicketless and frustrating Test on debut.
High: 5 for 61 in 2nd Test vs. Australia (1991)
2 of 11
After the heavy defeat in Melbourne and the publicised incident with umpire Peter McConnell, Tufnell would have entered the second Test of his career in Sydney in the 1990-91 Ashes series with a rather dim view of Test cricket.
But that would quickly change.
After picking up his first Test wicket in the first innings, the left-armer claimed the scalps of Ian Healy, David Boon, Allan Border, Dean Jones and Terry Alderman to finish with figures of five for 61 in the second innings.
Yet, even though England reached an admirable draw in Sydney, and even after a successful second Test, Tufnell claimed in his autobiography What Now? (as relayed by ESPN Cricinfo's Martin Williamson) that McConnell "turned down" five blatant bat-pad decisions off his bowling during the Test.
High: 6 for 25 vs. West Indies (1991)
3 of 11
After returning from the difficult 1990-91 Ashes tour of Australia, Tufnell was left out of the England team for the nation's opening four Tests on home soil against the powerful West Indies in the summer of 1991.
But the talented spinner was recalled for the pivotal fifth Test at The Oval with the visitors leading 2-1 after victories at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston.
Winning the toss and batting first, the hosts compiled a total of 419 in the first innings on a pitch that showed signs of early turn.
Relishing the assistance given to him by the receptive surface, Tufnell propelled England to an emphatic performance with the ball, claiming six for 25 as the West Indies collapsed to 176 all out. According to David Field of ESPN Cricinfo, it was the first time the Caribbean side had been forced to follow on against England in 22 years.
Against the world's most dominant side at the time, it was a breakthrough performance for Tufnell and one that helped England to a five-wicket win to level the series 2-2.
High: Name on the Honour Boards at Lord's (1991)
4 of 11
After his sensational performance against the West Indies at The Oval in early August, Tufnell was selected for the one-off Test at Lord's against Sri Lanka later that month in 1991.
Riding a wave of confidence into his first international performance at the world's most revered ground, the left-arm spinner again played a prominent role in another England victory.
With the visitors needing to see out more than a day's play to secure a draw—or score 423 runs for victory—Tufnell spun the hosts to a 137-run triumph, claiming the wickets of Chandika Hathurusingha, Asanka Gurusinha, Roshan Mahanama, Hashan Tillakaratne and Don Anurasiri to finish with figures of five for 94 in the game's final innings.
Not only did it earn Tufnell a place on the coveted honour boards in the Lord's dressing rooms, it was also the spinner's third five-wicket haul in his first six Tests.
High: 7 for 47 vs. New Zealand (1992)
5 of 11
As mentioned on the opening slide, Tufnell's performance against New Zealand in Christchurch in January 1992 was undoubtedly the finest of his career.
On a barren surface, England had compiled 580-9, declared in the game's first innings, and the hosts had followed with 312 from 127.4 taxing overs—an innings in which Tufnell claimed four wickets.
But New Zealand were still forced to follow on.
After a promising start from the home side, England's left-arm spinner claimed the wicket of Blair Hartland to end the opening partnership at 81. Yet, when the Kiwis reached 182-2 on the final day, they appeared well-placed to fight toward a draw.
Tufnell, however, proved to be the difference.
Completing a mammoth total of 46.1 overs, he claimed seven for 47 and brought about a New Zealand collapse that saw the hosts lose their final eight wickets for just 82 runs.
It was Tufnell's finest hour.
Low: Missing World Cup Final (1992)
6 of 11
Following on from his impressive tour of New Zealand in 1991-92, Tufnell entered the 1992 World Cup as a key component in the England one-day international side. And though he hadn't been prolific in the wickets column in coloured clothing, he had proved difficult to score quickly against in the limited-overs format.
But after playing in three of England's first four round-robin games against India, the West Indies and Australia (he claimed just one wicket across the three games), the left-armer was dropped for the clashes with Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand.
He did return against Zimbabwe in England's embarrassing defeat against the Africans, but two wickets in that game weren't enough to earn him a place in the side against South Africa and Pakistan in the semi-final and final.
For a prominent international cricketer, missing a World Cup final is a huge blow.
Low: Fined for Assaulting Girlfriend Jane McEvoy (1994)
7 of 11
Following a tour of the Caribbean against the West Indies in 1994, Tufnell hit undoubtedly the lowest point of his England career.
As recalled by Simon Hattenstone of the Guardian in a published interview in 1999:
"[Tufnell] went on a drinking binge and his partner, Jane McEvoy, walked out on him with [his daughter] Ellie. When she refused to let him see Ellie, he slapped her across the face. McEvoy's father exacted revenge by slapping Tufnell in the face with a brick. Tufnell was fined £800 for assault and five days later Michael McEvoy was fined £2,500 for malicious wounding.
"
In his interview with Hattenstone, Tufnell described the saga as a "very regrettable and upsetting part of my life" and something he's "ashamed" of.
Low: Fined for Smashing Up a Hotel Room in Perth (1995)
8 of 11
In the wake of the publicised problems in his personal life, Phil Tufnell travelled to Australia for the 1994-95 Ashes series under intense scrutiny.
In another difficult tour Down Under, the spinner took part in the opening four Tests of the series but was dropped for the final Test in Perth in January 1995.
During his team's stay in the Western Australian capital, Tufnell trashed his hotel room that, according to Will Buckley of the Guardian, "led to him, very briefly, consulting a psychiatrist."
According to the Mirror, however, the player himself saw it differently:
"It was quite funny, really. They took me off to this bleeding nuthouse and this bloke comes in and says, 'Tell me about your childhood' and I think, 'What am I doing here?'
So I just legged it out with all these blokes running after me. I got myself back to the hotel, got myself a beer, went into the team room and said, 'Sorry about that, chaps, see you at breakfast tomorrow morning.'
"
High: 11 Wickets vs. Australia (1997)
9 of 11
Despite the fact that his career had become known for his off-field antics, Tufnell was still capable of the sort of brilliance that propelled him to stardom early in his career.
During the 1997 Ashes series on English soil, the spinner reminded everyone of that.
Missing the opening five Tests of the series, the left-armer was recalled to the side for the dead rubber at The Oval (Australia had already won the series 3-1) in late August.
On a crumbling pitch, the hosts collapsed to 180 all out in the first innings and looked in trouble when Australia reached 94-2 in response.
But Tufnell turned the Test on its head with figures of seven for 66, claiming all but one of Australia's top eight to limit the visitors to just 220.
And then, somehow, England scrambled to an extraordinary victory, defending just 123 runs in the final innings by dismissing Australia for only 104.
Of the 10 wickets to fall, Tufnell claimed four to take his tally for the match to 11.
Low: Fined and Given Suspended Sentence for Missing Drug Test (1997)
10 of 11
During the 1996-97 tour of New Zealand, the waiters of a restaurant in Christchurch claimed that Tufnell "emerged" from a toilet "in a haze of marijuana smoke," according to ESPN Cricinfo's Martin Williamson and Andrew Miller.
Though team management found the England player innocent of any wrongdoing, it wasn't long until another drug issue surfaced in relation to Tufnell.
Following a County Championship match with Middlesex in 1997, Tufnell didn't attend a random drug test and was slapped with a £1,000 fine and a suspended sentence of 18 months, according to Williamson and Miller.
From that point, his international career was hanging on the edge.
Low: 1 for 174 vs. Australia in Last International Match (2001)
11 of 11
When the 2001 Ashes series on English soil arrived, Tufnell hadn't played on the international stage in almost 18 months.
But with the series already won by the Australians as it moved to The Oval for the final Test (just as it had been four years earlier in 1997), the left-arm spinner was recalled to the team in the hope that he'd deliver some of the magic he'd produced at the venue previously against Australia and the West Indies.
It didn't, however, transpire like that.
Against one of the greatest sides in the game's history, Tufnell was dealt with easily by the Australians and finished with forgettable figures of one for 174 as the visitors stormed to a massive victory.
After that, Tufnell never played for England again.
.jpg?w=480 "49ers Eagles Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Shedeur not currently in line for Browns QB1")
