Cricket: Phil Tufnell on England's search for a spinning solution
England’s search for a frontline spinner since Graeme Swann retired five years ago has been a long and, at times, painful road.
From Simon Kerrigan’s disastrous appearance at the Oval, to recalling the veteran Gareth Batty for a trip to the sub-continent, what the ECB are looking for has not always been clear.
And former test spinner Phil Tufnell believes the desire to find the next best thing is harming county spinners, who are not getting the chance to hone their craft in the domestic game.
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Tufnell had that opportunity, playing for Middlesex’s second XI and then spending four seasons in the County Championship, before his England Test debut in 1990.
Speaking to Love Sport Radio, in association with the Lords Taverners charity, Tufnell explained why he thinks Test call ups come around too quickly for the current crop of county turners.
“I think as a spin bowler you need that grounding in 2nd XI cricket,” he said, “just to get a groove and to get a rythym and know what you’re doing.
“A lot of these guys nowadays – I’ve seen a couple of these bowlers drafted into the England set up and it’s a little quick.
“They haven’t got the overs under their belt to come and bowl – which is a very difficult thing to do at the highest level.”
And Tufnell is fully aware that a spinner needs to have more than just a stock ball in their armoury now, thanks to the advancement that batsman have made, mainly down to T20 cricket.
“Spin bowling has gone mad lately,” he added.
“There are so many different variables: Doosras, Carrom balls and everything like that.
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“You have to have something up your sleeve as a spin bowler, especially on flat pitches, otherwise they’ll just smack you.”
Despite those introductions, Tufnell has no hesitation in naming Shane Warne as the greatest spinner ever, even though Muttiah Muralitharan ended up with more Test wickets.
“He was a showman, he made every ball an event and put that on the batsman,” Tufnell explained.
“He made up deliveries. All the boys were going over to Australia and were talking about a ball that never existed – it was amazing.”
Phil Tufnell was speaking to Love Sport Radio, available on 558AM, DAB and Radioplayer.
