Fraser and Tufnell still have future with England

As Mark Taylor used to call upon Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in times of need, Mark Ramprakash, without hesitation, regularly called upon his two trump cards to do the bulk of the work.

When two outstanding bowlers bowl in tandem, cricket becomes like a game of chess. The batsmen become watchful, the fieldsmen alert and the atmosphere tense. The West Indies have Walsh and Ambrose, the Aussies McGrath and Warne, Pakistan Akram and Akhtar, and the South Africans boast Donald and Pollock. These combinations inflict fear into the minds of most batsmen, who know that a confrontation with such duos is always a battle of wits, patience and skill.

Although 'Tuffers' and Angus weren't in action together in this World Cup I won't be surprised to see the English selectors having a change of heart during the summer. With four Test matches to play against New Zealand later in the summer, the opportunity may well present itself for the re-introduction of Tuffers to the Test arena. While it has been quite well documented, I was another person surprised that Phil Tufnell wasn't a part of the England touring party to Australia in the winter. Like everyone else, I have heard the reasons why 'the cat' may not have been selected, but from my experience these are more to do with reputation than present truths.

As a Middlesex teammate I have been impressed, not only with his excellent ability with the ball in his left hand, but also with his presence in the team environment. He may well be a bit aggressive, even a little cheeky, but if you were to ask me, is there anything really wrong with that? Most of the best bowlers in the world have some 'attitude' about them. Donald, Akram and McGrath snarl, 'Warney' and Mushtaq jump around like excited school kids and Walsh and Ambrose glare like cursed warriors. Does this mean they don't get selected? No, in fact they are the first selected because they are the best bowlers, most likely to win matches for their respective teams.

For a season, and now seven championship games this summer, I have watched England's best spinner (in my opinion) bowl with the guile and skill of the best of them. While my Aussie teammates and I were more than happy to see no Philip Clive Tufnell bowling at the Adelaide Oval or Sydney Cricket ground last winter, I think it won't be long before he is back doing what he does best.

He is a changed man from the heady days of his wayward youth and I believe he could become the perfect partner to Gough, Fraser, Mullally, Headley, Silverwood or Alex Tudor, in helping the England cricket team find a bowling combination of world class standing. His form this season on slow lifeless pitches, is a sure sign that he is ready to put his hand up for the selectors this summer. He has bowled the majority of his overs on seamer-friendly pitches, and even still 'the cat' has been tight in his line and clever in his change-up. Fielding at first slip to him is a buzz, as his presence, if nothing else, makes the game of cricket a load of fun, a trait that English cricket could use right now.

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