LONDON, April 11: Middlesex coach John Emburey said he was disappointed by the manner of Phil Tufnell’s retirement from first-class cricket just a week ahead of their opening county championship match.

Left-arm spinner Tufnell, 36, called time on his 18-year career on Thursday having taken over 1,000 first-class wickets with 121 Test dismissals to his credit.

Tufnell will be pursuing his growing media career and said Middlesex’s failure to offer a him a new contract before his present deal expired at the end of this season had forced his hand.

Former Middlesex and England off-spinner Emburey said relations between player and county began to sour when Tufnell, who will be appearing on British television show ‘I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here’, asked for time off for filming during the season.

“We were disappointed about that — the dates were in the cricket season,” Emburey told Sky Sports on Friday.

“We weren’t aware of anything until a letter arrived from his agent asking if we were prepared to release him for that period. We felt we had to refuse that.”

Tufnell, who played alongside Emburey in the early part of his career, was widely regarded as the best England spinner of his generation.

He became a popular figure as much for his colourful life off the field as his exploits on it during 42 Tests, the last against Australia two years ago.—AFP