Hobart has always been a favourite touring place for me. Although it is generally colder than I am used to, it has a relaxing feel that reminds me of a big country town. With great food, friendly people and magnificent scenery and water views, Hobart is a enjoyably city to play cricket in.

Bellerive Oval looked a treat this morning at training with the grass green and lush, and the sky as blue as a Sri Lankan sapphire. Although the pitch looks very flat, there is plenty of moisture under the surface, a sign that there is likely to be some assistance for the bowlers early on the first day. As yet a decision hasn't been made as to whether Scotty Muller or Colin Miller will carry the drinks, but either way we will go into this game with a talented and disciplined bowling attack. After the experience of the first Test our bowlers will be keen to build as much pressure on the Pakistani batting order with patient and aggressive fast bowling.

On the batting front all of the guys are ready to fight hard against the talented Pakistani bowlers. Traditionally a batting paradise, Bellerive has many fond batting memories for every player in our top order. We know they will start at us hard in the morning but again we understand that the rewards will come if we can work hard through the tough periods, which the Pakistanis are bound to throw at us during this Test. The Pakistanis have everything to gain from the next five days as they are one down in this series, so it will be no surprise to see them firing from the first ball of the day. With their first victory of the tour this week in Adelaide they have had the boost they needed to kickstart their tour.

In our favour is the fact that we can win this series with a victory in this second Test match. With our confidence high and the spirits in the team as good as they have been for a long time, we are ready to give the visitors a battle to remember. Who knows how the pitch will play in the morning, either way we will need to be as sharp as a razor to win day one.

Last week in Brisbane Pat Rafter joined us for our team dinner before the start of the Test. Tonight Bill Brown, Arthur Morris, Bill Johnson and Doug Ring, four members of the 1948 "Invincibles" team were our guests for the night. All four of them were great entertainment as they recalled how it used to be in their day. The funny thing is that although we now get paid more, spend more time warming up and warming down and take a plane rather than a ship to England, nothing much has changed. Sitting with Arthur Morris, one of our greatest ever Test batsmen, he talked about criticism from the press, playing the spinners and playing with the great Sir Donald Bradman. It was fascinating listening to his stories over a plate of pasta and a dozen oysters kilpatrick. The way he recalled the past it seems nothing is very different in the game. A great night was had by all, especially the younger brigade who sat transfixed by stories of the wonderfully rich history of our game.