EXCLUSIVE: The sudden death of Shane Warne sent shockwaves through the cricket world, including former England star Phil Tufnell, who still remembers his last conversation with the Australian
After many extraordinary battles with Shane Warne, ex-England cricket star Phil Tufnell’s final exchange with the Australian was a simple one. As a revered spinner and colourful character who was often in the headlines, Tufnell, 59, could be described as England’s answer to the Australian.
Tufnell may not have had the earring or the bleach blonde hair that made Warne look like a movie-star, but the English off-spinner could also bamboozle batsmen and spin the ball at his will. Many fans will never forget Tufnell outshining Warne at the 1997 Ashes by taking 11-wickets to Warne’s four, inspiring England to a 19-run victory over the Aussies in the sixth test.
Naturally, the pair developed a good friendship in their retirement from cricket and often worked together in the media. As millions were across the world, Tufnell was devastated by Warne’s fatal heart attack at the age of 52 on March 4, 2022.
He still remembers his final exchanges with Warne. It was an unextraordinary goodbye after a cricket match, followed by both spinners assuring one another that they were equipped with cigarettes.
Speaking at the launch of The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show, in an exclusive interview with Mirror Sport, Tufnell, when asked if he remembers his final exchange with Warne, said: “I do a little bit actually.
“I think we were at a cricket match. We have a breakout group there, so we’re BBC and he was at Sky. As usual, we all meet up for a fag, we both used to smoke. I tell you what, it was one of those where we were just chatting.
“It was virtually, ‘Oh, well, see you later. See you next year. Cheers mate. You got a fag, yeah? Alright! Cheers mate. Ta, bye.’
“Then, shortly afterwards (when news of the death was confirmed), it was like, ‘F***, what?’ That was the shock. We just couldn’t believe it.”
Warne was on holiday in Thailand when he suffered his heart attack three years ago. His passing left a gaping hole in the world of cricket, particularly in the hearts of his family and former rivals who became friends.
As well as their final conversation, Tufnell also remembers being behind the wheel of his car when news of Warne’s death filtered through his radio. He added: “I was driving along in my car and I thought they’d got it wrong.
“I thought they’d got it wrong because I think Rod Marsh, the legendary Australian wicket keeper, had passed away two or three days before hand.
“I thought they had got that (Warne’s death) wrong on the radio. Then I turned to another channel and they said it again. I stopped the car.
“Stopped the car. I had been working with him not so long ago in the media centre at a cricket match, just chatting to him. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Warne is widely regarded as the greatest leg spinner of all-time and finished his esteemed career with 708 wickets, second to only Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, who claimed 800.
Betfair are set for a big summer and winter of cricket, launching a new show with The Overlap: Stick to Cricket. Don’t miss the first episode next week, where the team will be reviewing the opening test of the series between England and India.