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Yahoo Sport’s EXCLUSIVE interview with Phil Tufnell

From wickets to witchetty grubs, Yahoo Sport talks exclusively to one of England’s best ever bowlers, in association with Askrr (www.askrr.co).

Phil Tufnell retired from cricket in 2003, having taken over 1,000 first-class wickets, playing for England in 42 tests. His new autobiography, Where Am I? is out now.

1) This summer has been something of a pleasant surprise for English cricket fans, hasn’t it?

Very much so – crikey! At the start of the summer I didn’t think we’d win a test match! There was a thought in my mind that it would all go horribly wrong. New Zealand were a good side, a very attacking side, so I thought that would be tricky – and then the Aussies were coming!

But they turned it around amazingly and played some thrilling, exciting, aggressive cricket that has kept everyone on the edge of their seats. I don’t think it could have gone any better.

2) Who have been your standout performers for England this summer?

I think it’s got to be Joe Root. Some of those Ashes knocks where absolutely telling. When people were falling like ninepins on wickets, he would come out and play like he was on another track. He made some great hundreds, under pressure, and just looked a cut above the rest.

The old stagers, too. Broad and Anderson on seaming pitches were as good as anyone in the business. Ben Stokes has been a breath of fresh air – lots of people have stuck their hands up and got behind Cookie, who I’m absolutely delighted for. He was getting fearful stick, wasn’t he? I’m delighted for him.

3) Do you think - like some Australians have suggested - that it’s unfair that an Australian team touring England had to play in English conditions?

Not at all. You go to India and play on spinning tracks, you go to Australia and play on fast, bouncy, wickets – that’s part of the charm. I don’t see it as cheating.

Wherever you go, conditions are different, you have to adapt to them. Australia didn’t adapt to them. I’m sure we’ll go over there and find a lot of fast pitches with the ball around our ear-holes. That’s why it’s becoming harder and harder to win away from home; it’s becoming pretty much unheard of.

4) One area where some people perceive a weakness in the England team is the spin department. With Misbah Ul-Haq and Shiv Chaunderpaul still playing test cricket in their forties, do you think you could be the answer?

No! Definitely not! I burned my boots a long time ago, I don’t even have any whites left - I’ve given them all away.

5) Has anyone else caught your eye?

Adil Rashid’s the one, isn’t he? They’re going to play two or even three spinners to the UAE, where I’m sure Pakistan will play two or three spinners. We got turned over there 3-0 last time and were batted out of sight basically. Rashid and Moeen have an exciting time ahead of them and they’ll be crucial to how we get on.

There are some spinners knocking around - people say they’re aren’t too many, but there are a couple of leggies like Mason Crane at Hampshire and Josh Poysden at Warwickshire. If I was a spinner today, I’d be looking to impress because there is that berth to grab.

6) There’s been a lot of talk of a new brand of English cricket this summer, with more emphasis on players expressing themselves. Orthodox wisdom is that a player like you – in your book describe yourself as having the “mentality of a club cricketer” and being “allergic to training” - wouldn’t stand a chance in the modern game. Is there more space for a Tufnell-esque player in the current England set-up?

I think you’ve got to have big belief in your own ability – but that comes from the environment, the coaches, the second in command and the captain have put in place. You have to turn up and feel comfortable and wanted, and go out without fear and express yourself.

It all started with that New Zealand series, you just saw England come out of their shells. We were miles behind in one-day cricket, we were playing like we were in the eighties, but now this younger breed have come in and they’re playing like they’ve played all their lives, saying “we can go at six or seven an over, eight an over, whenever we like”. It’s refreshing,

7) Does it make you sad that with none of the Ashes matches going to the final day, neither Nathan Lyon nor Moeen Ali really got to have a go on a deteriorating pitch?

I know what you mean. Edgbaston was done and dusted in the first session, Trent Bridge was done and dusted within half an hour. There were some pretty helter-skelter test matches for sure.

I thought Nathan Lyon bowled very nicely when he came on – he was one of Australia’s main threats.

8) Something else that must have been a pleasant surprise is your post-cricket career. You’ve been everything from the face of erectile dysfunction to the backside of Marmite (a naked Tufnell was famously projected onto the side of the Australian hotel during the 2009 Ashes) – what’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do?

Those two aren’t far off! None of it was particularly planned; I didn’t think I was going to be a professional cricketer, but that turned out all right; I represented my country and that turned out all right, and it’s the same with my second career. I retired in 2003 with no idea about what was going to go on, I don’t plan too much ahead! I’m a very lucky boy.

9) You’ve done some pretty scary things, too – would you rather eat another witchetty grub, go down the highest jump on The Jump, or face an over from Curtley Ambrose?

Cor blimey, that’s tough. The Jump was terrifying. Curtley Ambrose was terrifying. And the witchetty grub is still alive, so that’s not much fun!

I’d probably have to plump for facing an over from Curtley. I might have half a clue of what I’m doing.

“Where Am I? My Autobiography” by Phil Tufnell is available now, published by Headline.