He has played 48 Test matches as captain and is mentally very strong.

It gave me more responsibility and I wanted to play with responsibility and win matches for my country.

From a spectator point of view, Test cricket is not important; people hardly watch Test cricket. But as a player, Tests are the real thing. You have to concentrate for five days. It's a lot of time, and not easy to do it day in and day out. If people have played 70-100 Tests, it's a lot of cricket, a lot of concentration and dedication.

Being the vice-captain, you see a lot of things on the field. You have to try and help the captain as much as you can and lead by example on the field. Small things like getting a run-out or taking a catch makes the other boys try and lift their standards. So yes, I do have an important role, even if I'm not captain.

The Australian Test captain is Tasmanian, Tom Kendall, who played in the very first Test in 1877, is buried in Tasmania, and Keith Bradshaw, the new MCC secretary and chief executive-elect, is Tasmanian. We have made the MCC aware we are very disappointed Tasmania is not on the list. I hope it is not too late to reconsider the issue for next summer.

When I was a kid, I used to try and hit every ball out of the ground. After playing one-day cricket and Test cricket, I never thought I'd get a chance to play like that again, ever. Twenty20 has given me the opportunity of playing like a kid again. I can just feel free and go out there and hit.