Phil Tufnell: 'It's got to be a team effort'

Former England bowler Phil Tufnell looks ahead to this years Ashes, confident that if the England team can fire in all departments, the nation could be celebrating come the end of the series.

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What's your favourite memory from the Ashes?

Bowling Australia out at the Oval. Personally I got 11 wickets and it was a tight, low scoring game. Every one got behind us and we performed really well. Any time you play against the Australians is up there. It's the tradition of it all. The Ashes is still one of the biggest series in world cricket because of all the years it's been going on for and all the past contests. All the fuss around it, it just builds up to this massive thing.

Any words for Ricky Ponting? I heard you had a falling out with him some time ago?

No words. I'm just looking forward to a good Ashes.

Who's the best ever Ashes bowler in your opinion?

Shane Warne, and then probably Glenn McGrath.

Who was the best Australian batsman you ever faced?

Mark Waugh and Steve Waugh were fantastic. They were just so determined and focused at the wicket. Allan Border was another great batsman to face. He was a very nuggety, focused batsman. He had nothing else on his mind except to set out and win the Ashes.

What do you make of England's bowling line-up for the series?

It looks good, Stuart Broad and James Anderson have come right to the fore, and of course Flintoff is back.

How important is it that Flintoff is fully fit?

The Ashes is not all about one man. It's about 11 guys chipping in, from good batting to good bowling, everyone is important. It's got to be a team effort.

We did a feature earlier this week on sledging, do you have many memories of words being exchanged out on the pitch?

It's part and parcel of the game really. There'll certainly be a few words bantered about between the two teams during this series. It's all just a bit of a chat really, all sides tend to get involved in sledging.

There's been some talk about the first ball of the series, how it can set the scene. If you were recalled and Andrew Strauss put the ball in your hand - what would you do with it?

I'd try and get a wicket. It wouldn't matter how, whatever way you can do it, try and get a wicket.

How do you think this series will go?

I think it's going to be a fabulous series. If it's anything like 2005 it'll be a cracker. If I was to make a prediction, I would say 2-1 to England.

Phil Tufnell was talking in conjuction with the campaign calling on men to bat away embarrassment and take appropriate action on impotence. The campaign Bowl Your Maiden Over urges men to think about their health and learn more about the condition. More information on the campaign can be found at bowlyourmaidenover.com.