‘STRICTLY WAS AN ABSOLUTE EYE OPENER'

AS CRICKET GETS A BRAND NEW SPIN WITH THE HUNDRED PLAYER-TURNED- BBC PRESENTER PHIL TUFNELL TALKS MEETING HIS HEROES AND WHY DANCING ON STRICTLY WAS TOUGHER THAN BOWLING FOR ENGLAND

- TRICIA MARTIN

Hi Phil. So the BBC is bringing us this fast-paced new cricket format, The Hundred. Will tradition-loving fans be choking on their tea and cake?

I think it’s going to be great. People are saying “What about the stalwarts, the hardened purists?” But hopefully, there’s an audience out there who perhaps haven’t thought about cricket before. So it’s completely about opening the doors and saying, “Come on and have a look, see what it’s all about.” It should be a fantastic format and very entertaining.

Hopefully, you’ll be catching everyone in a sporty mood after the Euros…

With what’s been going on, we’ve all been slightly starved of sports action in terms of crowds attending. So hopefully people will come along and watch some cricket live. The Euros made lots of people happy and it was just the tonic the country needed after the year we’ve had. It gave us all a smile and a boost.

Did you ever imagine as a boy that you would end up sharing a commentary box with the likes of Test Match Special legend Jonathan Agnew?