The claims, based on comments by two restaurant employees and widely reported in the New Zealand media, were dismissed as ``ridiculous'' by the player. John Barclay, the England manager, said after discussing the matter with Tufnell that he was ``completely satisfied'' of the player's innocence.

The incident was alleged to have occurred in Bardelli's restaurant, near the England team's Christchurch hotel, on Monday night. Staff said the smell of ``pot'' was detected from a lavatory for disabled people to which the player and an English couple were seen making frequent visits. Tufnell, whose career has been punctuated by controversy on and off the field, told a television crew after England completed the four-wicket win: ``I think it's extraordinary. I really do. It makes me laugh. It's ridiculous, mate.''

Tufnell's past troubles include being fined #1,100 at Enfield magistrates' court in June 1994 for offences including an assault on his former fiancie, Jane McEvoy after a row over access to their baby daughter. In Dec 1994, he was fined #350 for throwing the ball in frustration during a one-day international in Melbourne and the previous year he had been fined #500 for abusing an umpire in India.

After being chosen for this winter's tour, Tufnell promised ``something different''.