Duncan's coaching has been invaluable

'It's important for me to continue working on all aspects of my game and not rest on any laurels' © Getty Images

So the first Test didn't quite go as we'd have wanted, but I thought we showed a lot of character on that fourth day, and that's the sort of thing that's going to get us back into this series. There are a lot of strong characters in the team and it's up to us to show the fight we have as a side.

It was disappointing to miss out on selection. I found out about it on the night before the Test, but I'm pretty philosophical about it. After all, there are 16 members of the squad out here, and so that means five of us are going to have to miss out every time. The coach and captain know their best 11, based on the pitch conditions and the balance of the side, and it's up to the rest of us to give as much support and backing as we can.

Even though I wasn't playing, my first taste of an Ashes contest was just brilliant. I sat outside on the team balcony with Chris Read for most of the match and just soaked it in. There must have been about 40,000 in the ground every day and that broke the previous record, which was only about 90,000 for the whole match. It was just brilliant.

From the first day when we got there, and throughout the match, the whole atmosphere was really exciting. A few people were quite nervous that first morning on the bus, but that's probably to be expected, because everyone really wanted to do well. It was great for me to go to the ground and soak up the atmosphere. Just to watch was amazing.

And it was great to hear the Barmy Army come into their own on the final day. The support and the noise they generate, and the energy they provide during the matches, is just incredible. All my team-mates were really impressed with their passion. I even heard them chant my name once or twice. Obviously I enjoyed those moments, but I guess I'm pretty easy to recognise, seeing as I'm the only guy with a patka in the team!

It's nice to get recognised for playing cricket for my country, but I've just got to focus on my game. I want to play every match for England. I love it and enjoy it, and I want do my best if I get the chance. Hopefully I'll get a chance to play at Adelaide. I've been putting quite a lot of work in this last week, but it all comes down to what the coach and captain feel. We'll just have to wait and see.

When it comes to bowling I normally trust one individual who I can always relate to, and I find Duncan Fletcher is really helpful with the valuable comments he comes out with

It was a busy week for me, even though I wasn't playing. I spent a lot of time working on my fitness - general cardio and gym work - with Nigel Stockill, the physiologist, and I did a great deal of work with Duncan [Fletcher] in the training sessions, getting his viewpoints on my bowling. When it comes to bowling I normally trust one individual who I can always relate to, and I find Duncan Fletcher is really helpful with the valuable comments he comes out with, and just his general feedback.

He's been looking at my action and trying to maybe get a bit more loop into it. He has been absolutely invaluable to me. I can ask him all sorts of things and that's important for me because it gives me confidence. It's up to me to do as much as I can so that I'm ready at any time. You never know when your next chance will come. Not playing at Brisbane gave me a chance to work on the other sides of my game, in between my 12th-man duties, of course.

That includes my batting, which I think is progressing really well. I've spent a lot of time in the nets with Duncan and Matthew Maynard, the batting coach, and I do feel that, hopefully, the work I've put in will earn me a chance to play at some stage. It's important for me to continue working on all aspects of my game and not rest on any laurels. My aim is to become a multi-dimensional cricketer. Of course it's a gradual thing, and I've got a long way to go, but as long as I keep working and the coaches see an improvement, that's all I can do.

I've already played at Adelaide once on this tour and so I've got some idea of the conditions. The pitch we used against South Australia had already been used for a one-day game, so I can't predict that things will be the same for the Test. But the coach has seen me bowl there once and I hope he gives me that chance. It's all about adapting to different conditions.

'Andrew Flintoff is just so inspirational as a captain. He's a great person on and off the field' © Getty Images

The Adelaide Oval is a beautiful ground and, as cricketers, you really do appreciate the surroundings when you are playing. In fact, our hotel is just across the river from the ground and I've got a really nice view from my window. I came here last year to watch the Australia-West Indies Test when I was playing for Glenelg.

It's going to be a big test for the team this week, but we've done it before. We came back from 1-0 down in the Ashes last time, and in India last year. It's all about togetherness. Andrew Flintoff is just so inspirational as a captain. He's a great person on and off the field, and he's always there for his team-mates. You can just see that from the way he performs. He bowled his heart out at Brisbane. Harmy's [Harmison] working hard too. He's the type of guy who can bowl one spell and get back into the groove. He is a world-class performer and everyone knows it.

Away from the cricket, the hotels have been great, and so has the weather, the food, everything. Australia's such a great place to tour and I'm enjoying every minute of it. The training has been good and I'm absolutely loving being here. Being on an Ashes tour at such a young age means that, whatever happens, I will have gained something invaluable.