Touring is in the blood

Joking apart, it still remains a great honour, as well as one of my greatest experiences, to be selected to tour for England, whichever part of the world you end up in. And if I find myself called up to join them in Pakistan because Ashley Giles is unfit, I will jump at the chance.

Luckily enough, I have managed eight tours, which I reckon is a pretty good effort, especially as I am such a bad tourist and I started out with Ian Botham, Allan Lamb, David Gower and Robin Smith. What chance did I have as a young, impressionable cricketer?

They taught me everything I know, thankfully. Among them were pride and comradeship, two things you need and come to rely on when you are a long way from home and the odds are stacked against you.

You have to count on your teammates. After all, those 16 or 17 geezers are the ones you have to eat, drink and sleep with for four months. During these times, you form some great friendships which can last a lifetime.

Touring the sub-continent is, of course, different to the tours to Australia and the West Indies because there seems to be less to do. This is where the team room comes into its own. A meeting place for all the guys, and a storeroom for all the freebies such as beer, wine and chocolate.

Botham used to call it the Bat Cave, and as you can imagine he was very at home there. This was the place to retreat after a hard day, time to talk about the game and life in general with your buddies.

As you can imagine, the team rooms have seen some strange sights over the eight tours I have been on and the hundreds I haven't. But what goes on tour stays on tour, so I'm afraid no juicy stories can be revealed, only that thinking about it makes me want to reach for the shaving foam and eggs.

It is true, though, that touring these days has become more intense and fitness orientated and, I suppose, more professional, which is great. I experienced this in South Africa under Duncan Fletcher and Nasser Hussain last winter and hope to do so again soon.

It had to happen. England had to move with the other nations in order to remain competitive.

However, in order to have a successful tour, you must create a positive atmosphere with as much enjoyment as possible, give the fellas a bit of a free rein and encourage them to go out and enjoy the local culture. It is sometimes too easy to flop into bed and miss out on the world around you.

I've always had a great look around in all the countries I have toured. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.