Nervous ninety seconds for Ramps

Mark Ramprakash may have looked serene as a swan when he got top marks on the first week of Strictly Come Dancing last Saturday, but underneath the surface he was frantic and panicking, despite his all-day rehearsals.

"I was really nervous," he admits, "but I think things went well in the evening." All the efforts appear to be paying off so far, though, and the odds on Ramprakash emulating Darren Gough to lift the title have already been slashed from 15 to 1, to 5 to 1. "It has been hard work," Ramprakash says, a little surprised, "but I have enjoyed it."

Rumours are now even circulating that Ramprakash, who caressed a phenomenal 2278 runs for Surrey this season at 103.54, is using the show as a means to showcase his talents in a bid to fight his way back onto the international stage after five years. Yet he's said before that his days in the Test arena weren't the happiest, so for now it seems that he will be sticking with the cha-cha-cha.

But it's not just dancing that's taken Ramprakash's fancy in recent weeks; he's also into Aussie Rules. He got the bug at Surrey, where the players are well versed in the art of hand-passing and kicking goals after their Australian physio got them playing a bit of AFL in warm-ups.

He's yet to see a match, and he may miss the upcoming game at The Oval between Geelong and Port Adelaide on Saturday 21 October, with his dancing commitments. "I'll have to get down one year, though," he vows. And while he may be no betting man, he knows who his money is on. "I've heard Geelong have a pretty good history so I'll have go with them."

But it's back to business in the meantime - and that means dancing. "We have a group dance this Saturday night so the hard work will keep on coming and then it's back to just Karen and I the following week."

And while he may have lost the big-stage worries for cricket years ago, those butterflies will remain for the 90 seconds he dances. "I certainly hope that the nerves settle down in the coming weeks," he confesses, before waltzing off for some more practice.