‘I bamboozled Viv Richards and Australia – but I get remembered for I’m a Celeb’

He famously dominated Australia within the sixth take a look at of the 1997 Ashes sequence – however Phil Tufnell might higher be remembered because the King of the Jungle.

During his enjoying days, Tufnell, 57, was one of many greatest stars within the England cricket group. Unlike most of his team-mates, his gradual, left-arm orthodox spin fashion bamboozled opposing gamers and left them trudging off the sphere. Former Australian star Mark Waugh thought he had discovered the Londoner’s fashion when he mentioned: “If you attack him, it puts him off his game” – but Tufnell bowled out Waugh extra occasions than every other participant.

However, because the England call-ups started to dry up, Tufnell acquired a name from the producers of ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ – and never solely did he seem within the second sequence, he went on to win the present. But when questions on fish guts, awkward campmates and bushtucker trials come flying at him from all angles like his swinging deliveries, Tufnell admits he finds himself reminding individuals in regards to the profession which made him a star within the first place.

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“Well, obviously, now you’ve retired, I do occasionally have to remind people that I bowled Viv Richards out and managed to bowl Australia out at the Oval,” Tuffnell laughed, in an unique interview with Daily Star Sport, whereas he was launching Tombola’s critter themed recreation ‘Bug Match’.

“As time goes in your cricket profession barely phases out. I’m very fortunate that I nonetheless clearly work within the recreation doing the commentary with TMS and the TV highlights and stuff.

“But yeah, no, for certain. People all the time come as much as me and kind of ask me in regards to the jungle and, , ‘what was it like in there’, ‘what did it’s important to eat,’ and ‘who did you get on with and who did not you get on with?’”

What are your favorite recollections of Phil Tufnell? Let us know within the remark part beneath

Considering the frequent controversy that follows the present, it is becoming Tufnell’s preliminary inclusion within the second sequence of this system rattled loads of cages. At the time, he was nonetheless enjoying for Middlesex when the supply got here to go on the present, which was nonetheless in its infancy on the time.

Middlesex had been reluctant to let one in all their most skilled bowlers and finest spinners jet off to Australia for the present. Such was his want to start a brand new chapter in tv, Tufnell surprised his team-mates by saying his retirement so he may fly to Australia.

“We’re upset and disappointed because he’s still a bloody great spinner, the best in the country,” mentioned Vinny Codrington, the then secretary for the membership. “But there’s nothing we can do except wish him the best.”

At the time, Tufnell was the final English spinner to take 100 take a look at wickets. While England didn’t win the 1997 Ashes sequence, his extraordinary particular person show which noticed him decide up figures towards the Aussies of 11-93 on the Oval was nonetheless recent within the minds of followers.

“The England stuff had kind of gone and so it was the choice to kind of have one other couple of years enjoying for Middlesex [or start a new career in television],” he said, when asked about what was going through his mind at the time. “You know, you can’t chase a little ball about all your life. I was sort of finishing my career anyway.

“I think I was about 37 or 38, so I was mulling it over in my mind whether the time had come. It’s funny, you talk to professional sportsmen and women and it’s a very awkward time, really, with hiring because you don’t quite know what’s around the corner. But I had talked to people and they said: ‘You’ll know the moment to retire. It will come on to you’. I was sort of oohing and aahing about what to do and then got the call from ‘I’m a Celebrity’.

“That was the second. I simply thought ‘proper, effectively, maintain on a minute. This is the time after I suppose I do know that my time is up’. You know, I wasn’t getting any youthful. The England stuff had gone, so I made a decision to to leap at that and see what was across the nook. No regrets in any respect. No regrets in any respect. Loved each minute of it.”

Instead of wickets, Tufnell was all about taking stars for his camp. Trophies were cast aside, meals and camp treats were the priority. You could tell there were times when the spinner thought he was spinning into insanity. Viewers loved the moments when he took himself into the Bush Telegraph Room and moaned about how much he missed his cigarettes.

But he proved to be a hit with viewers. He won 17 stars over the course of three different trials. A camp member who ensures their fellow campmates’ bellies are full is a valuable ally – particularly if they had to win those stars by doing the dreaded eating contests.

“The eating trials are horrific,” Tufnell exclaimed. “What you don’t get on the telly is the disgusting smell and the textures. They buried me alive in a pit of snakes, you know, which is pretty daunting thinking back on it.

“Let me tell you something. You get picked for that trial and no one wants to go and do it. Believe me, you know you don’t want to go and put your head in a bowl full of spiders. It’s as simple as that. So you do have to sort of steel yourself a little bit, but then you do get the reward afterwards. You do sit there think “bloody hell, I’ve proven myself I may do it’. You know, I’m fairly decided and fairly robust.

“So there may be that reward of feeling good about your self. But let me let you know, none of these trials are one thing that you just’d need to do.”

‘Phil Tufnell/ was speaking from tombola’s critter challenge event, play Bug Match now at https://www.tombola.co.uk