Bowling too flat? Aussie crowds? I'm not worried

After a few warm-up games I'm starting to get the hang of Australian pitches. A few people - Terry Jenner and Dan Cullen - have been suggesting I've been bowling too flat. I'm not worried. This week's just been about adapting to the Kookaburra ball. It's slightly different to the Dukes balls back home so I've had to make a few slight alterations. Now the ball's coming out nicely.

The first Test starts on Thursday and I'm pretty hopeful of playing. The rhythm's been good. I got a couple of wickets at Adelaide - that was good - and I've got a few overs under my belt now. That's really important for me.

I reckon our momentum as a team is building really nicely. Losing Marcus Trescothick was a big blow. We didn't find out until the game in Sydney that he was going home. The side was a bit low, he's one of the best players in the team, but we remembered that in India we had a few players missing - Michael Vaughan, Trescothick, Simon Jones and Ashley Giles - and the young players came through. There are always opportunities. It helped that the last two warm-up games went really well. Everyone's now really geared up for the Test. We're really looking forward to it.

We've been training a lot, too. Normally on training days we work for three or four hours then do some rest and recovery exercises. By that time there's not a lot of time for getting out and about in the cities we're staying in. I usually meet up with the guys in the squad and go for a meal. Apart from that it's pretty much cricket, cricket, cricket. Occasionally it's broken up by a function but in general it's cricket full-on. It's great. I love training, and getting to as many nets as possible.

I'm finding Australia a really nice country. It's great just to switch off and see some of the sights with the lads. I went back to my old club at Glenelg during the week. I was there for two months in 2005-06 before I went home for Christmas and then on the India tour. It was great to catch up with some of the old players. Ben Hookes was the club captain, he writes for an Adelaide paper, and the president, Bob, was there. It was the first time I've seen them since the trip, but it was only a brief visit because I had to get back for a massage.

There's been some talk here and back home about what the Australian crowds are like. I guess you're going to have minorities saying a few things wherever you go, but I'm sure the majority of Australian cricket fans will support the game the right way. That's something that everyone's really looking forward to. They are passionate about cricket in this country. I'm sure that passion will be seen during the series. We really can't wait for the games to begin.

The Ashes tour and India are two of the toughest tours in the game, so I'm looking forward to seeing how they rate, although I won't really be able to judge until it's over. It's probably a little bit tough having both trips in my first year, but sometimes that's just how it is. It's exciting playing on tours where it can be tough for spinners. It really helps you develop as a cricketer. It gives a chance to improve yourself.