Full Name

Philip Clive Roderick Tufnell

Born

April 29, 1966, Barnet, Hertfordshire

Age

57y 325d

Nicknames

The Cat

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Slow Left arm Orthodox

Playing Role

Bowler

Height

6ft

Education

Highgate School; Southgate School

Other

Commentator, Author

The Bad Boy of English cricket in the 1990s, but the best spinner - left-arm or otherwise - as well. With a kick of the back leg, a skip and a jump, he had an approach to the wicket that is all his own, but Tufnell had great control of flight - he talked of his "ball on a string" - and tended to beat batsmen in the air rather than off the pitch. And the arm ball was hard to spot. His batting was more straightforward, and consisted of the shuffle to square leg when facing the fast bowlers or the optimistic waft outside off stump. Known as The Cat because of his love of dressing-room naps, he purred into action in his fifth Test against West Indies at The Oval in 1991, and produced another matchwinning performance in Christchurch that winter. But a troubled private life, a strained relationship with the establishment, and some uninspired captaincy meant he has been in and out of the team since then. Only occasionally has he returned to his mischievous, attacking best, although his Middlesex career, kickstarted by an irresistible partnership with John Emburey, never stalled. In April 2003, however, he abruptly retired from first-class cricket, to become the unlikely star of a reality TV show. Rarely seen without a beer and a fag, Tufnell has always been something of a folk hero, and he milked that to the full to carve out a successful career on TV and radio.
Lawrence Booth

Phil Tufnell Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests42701128845601217/4711/9337.682.4293.2652
ODIs20201020699194/224/2236.784.1153.6100
FC316-769343102610578/29-29.352.4172.7-536
List A93-466333271035/285/2832.304.2845.2410

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests42592915322*5.1069022.1700130120
ODIs20109155*15.003148.38000040
FC316349136206667*9.69--01--1060
List A933622125188.92--00--170
Phil Tufnell portrait

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test
ODI

Debut/Last Matches of Phil Tufnell

Recent Matches of Phil Tufnell

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Middlesex vs Derbyshire0* & 45/3511-Sep-2002DerbyFC
Middlesex vs Essex2* & 0*3/58 & 0/2504-Sep-2002ChelmsfordFC
Middlesex vs Derbyshire0* & 72/91 & 5/8021-Aug-2002Lord'sFC
Middlesex vs Notts0 & 00/6914-Aug-2002NottinghamFC
Middlesex vs Northants--3/5307-Aug-2002Lord'sFC

Photos of Phil Tufnell

<i>Test Match Special</i>'s Phil Tufnell, Jonathan Agnew and Henry Moeran (from left) sit by the boundary
Phil Tufnell seen enjoying the action at Southampton
The cover of <I>Tuffer's Duffer</I>
Phil Tufnell
Phil Tufnell with a swing and a miss as the ball finds its way to the gloves of keeper Read
Phil Tufnell in the field for England at the Oval, 2001