Hussain gives Tuffers the thumbs-up

England skipper Nasser Hussain has admitted that he was "glued" to Phil Tufnell's recent triumph on the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here.

Tufnell, who won 42 caps for England, the last in 2001, retired from the game on the eve of the season to take part in the show Down Under.

Asked in an exclusive interview with the official Channel 4/ECB Test Match Magazine whether a recall for Tufnell - nicknamed "The Cat" - to the England colours would be a boost for the game, Hussain says: "He'd get a big cheer. But then he always gets a big cheer. He's always been a star. He's always been the people's champion - he's like the Jimmy White of the cricket world. But there's only so far you can get on popularity, you still have to get your runs and wickets... I was disappointed when he retired because he's one of a dying breed of natural spin bowlers who can give the ball a bit of flight - and also a dying breed of characters in the game. We're running out of characters. I always enjoyed playing with and against Phil Tufnell - every game I played."

Hussain goes on: "I hate reality TV. I've never ever been keen on anything like that. But I was glued to that because The Cat was in it. I'm very close to The Cat, I know him very well, I enjoy his company and I found him absolutely hilarious on the show: he was always going to be brilliant on it: he's got a job for life on things like that - he's made for it. Good on him. There's not many cricketers that could pull that off - it's not something that Nasser Hussain will be doing ..."

Elsewhere in the interview, Hussain says he intends to break Peter May's Test record of 20 Test wins (Hussain has led England to 14 wins so far), and that he does not believe in blooding a weaker team against Zimbabwe. He also talks about how his own run-ins with authority have helped him become a better leader: "It's very difficult being captain if you've just been a goody two-shoes. It's hard to understand the Phil Tufnells of this world if you don't have that sort of background yourself."

The first npower Test between England and Zimbabwe starts at Lord's on Thursday, May 22.

The Channel 4/ECB Official Test Match Guide, which also includes exclusive interviews with England's fastest bowler Steve Harmison and Zimbabwe's 20-year-old vice captain Tatenda Taibu, will be available at the ground and via the website www.pplsport.com