Hoggie's Down Under Diary

In the second of a regular series, England cricket hero Matthew Hoggard gives his view on cricket, beer and life.

This week he reports from Down Under as the Second Test against the Aussies kicks off.

Playing catch-up is never fun. But that's what we'll be

doing when the second Test begins here in Adelaide tonight (English time) after being well and truly stuffed by the Aussies in Brisbane.

The England camp felt devastated by our performance, as if we'd let down everyone back home. For those who stayed up all night, it must have made pretty nightmarish viewing.

It felt like a very long Test match: it was bloody hot, the Aussies seemed to bat for ever - and then, just to cheer me up, thousands of their fans started singing "Hoggard is a w****r". A witty bunch, those Aussie fans.

But we still shared our beer with the Aussies in the dressing-room later. In an effort to convert them to proper English beer, we offered them Marston's Resolution, but moving on from fizzy, tasteless slop is clearly a slow process.

So the cricket was tough in Brisbane, but we haven't been moping around and we're determined to put things right.

After all, we lost the first Test to the Aussies in England last year and ended up winning the series, so there's no reason why we shouldn't do it again.

We've practised hard in the nets and enjoyed chilling out at the hotel. Everyone's had a go at Steve Harmison's dart board and Alastair Cook reckons he's a hotshot.

But as undisputed darts champ of our squad, Harmy will take some beating - we northerners always seem to beat the southerners at darts.