'Five-nil or not, England cricket fans were superb' says Hoggie

No matter how badly the Ashes series has been going, I was absolutely gutted to miss out on playing in the last Test in Sydney with an irritating side strain. I hadn't missed a Test match for England for more than three years.

As a fast bowler, you're always vulnerable to niggles and strains, so that was a fitness record I'd been proud of.

I suppose the body was bound to succumb at some point, but it still felt like a great shame to miss out on playing in front of a packed house at the SCG.

One thing I haven't missed, though, is being barracked by probably the rowdiest fans in Australia. The Aussies give us stick wherever we go, of course, but the Sydneysiders are especially noisy. Perhaps they can't hold their beer as well as their pals in Melbourne and Perth.

Personally, the biggest disappointment was that I desperately wanted to play a part in salvaging something from this series for the brilliant fans. The supporters who have travelled over here have been fantastic and we really wanted to give them a Test to remember at the SCG.

On a brighter note, I was delighted in the previous Test at Melbourne to move above Andrew Caddick in the list of wicket-takers for England. Caddy is an old adversary of mine, so it was nice to nudge past him! I should have plenty more opportunities to add to my haul later this year.

I had another reason to raise a glass on New Year's Eve when I reached the ripe old age of 30. Of course, I was given a lot of grief by my team-mates for reaching veteran status, but we still had a great evening, starting with a cheeky bottle of Marston's Resolution in the team hotel, then going for a meal down by the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

We might have lost the series, but you've still got to take the opportunity to celebrate when it comes around.