TUESDAY
Up early. Today looks like being a long day. Need to be in Basingstoke by 10.00 to support the Sun Life of Canada national under-15 finals. Nasser Hussain also attends but isn't moving too freely.
We meet at the Oval at 1pm. Not everyone is there, as those playing last night at Headingley have been given the session off. As usual, everyone's first port of call is the pitch, which is not quite what we are expecting.
You have got to admire our tenacity for a contest. All summer we have endeavoured to take on South Africa's battery of fast bowlers on pitches that have done a bit, and now we are about to take on Sri Lanka on the driest pitch I have seen this year.
WEDNESDAY
Warm-ups at 9.15 but we're one short. Our talented young all-rounder has either forgotten where the Oval is or has been badly let down by the person who was supposed to set his wake-up call. We eventually get through our session between showers and are told Ben Hollioake has been fined £1,000 for his misdemeanour.
Another problem is that Nasser is unfit to play and Mike Atherton's back is playing up. Steve James has been called up but won't be here till late as his wife has gone into labour, while Graeme Hick and John Crawley have an ideal opportunity to put their names at the front of the selectors' thoughts.
Following lunch on the King's Road, it's time to spend some time with the family. The success of the last few weeks has been great but there is a drawback, and that is the lack of time at home. So in they come and raid my mini-bar which, at the Conrad, Chelsea Harbour, is expensive.
THURSDAY
Sri Lanka's decision to bowl first has certainly caught us by surprise. We would have batted even though Robert Croft was left out for the extra seamer. It is now up to us to make sure their decision is a mistake, and by the close we have almost done this thanks to an excellent hundred from Hick. Everyone is chuffed by his success as he more than anyone has been at times unfairly treated by the media.
I have a lovely day lazing round the dressing room. The atmosphere seems so much more relaxed when Donald and Pollock aren't trying to knock your heads off. Our injured duo, Hussain and Athers, slide off for lunch while Crofty heads back down the M4 after eating lunch, tea, most of the sweets, and collecting his expenses.
FRIDAY
What is going on here? Once again we are one short at warm-ups. But 'Sid' James has a pretty good excuse as last night he travelled back to Cardiff to attend the birth of his first child, Bethan Amy, which happened at 5 o'clock this morning. Sid turned up looking absolutely knackered and spent the first session asleep in the physio's room.
Well played Crawley for a magnificent exhibition of how to play spin bowling. I guided him to his 150 with a career-best 32 but sadly broke my only bat in the process.
We start poorly as I proceed to bowl three overs of dross. Sadly my bowling is now preventing me being described as an all-rounder. Jayasuriya shows us what he is capable of in the last session to end a good day's Test cricket.
Phoned Athers up to tell him that if he wants to see how the hook shot and cover-drive should be played, he should watch the highlights tonight.
SATURDAY
Good job Ben turns up on time this morning. He takes an excellent catch in the gully off my third over to get rid of Jayawardene. After that the hard work really starts, as Jayasuriya gives us a batting lesson.