'I've had a taster and I want more'

You've just got back from England A's tour of Sri Lanka. It looked like a tough assignment.
Yeah, it was tough, but very enjoyable all the same. On a winter tour like that you want it to be tough, because that's the only way you can learn things. But I think, in general, the squad did very well in tough conditions and against tough opposition. Petering off at the end like that was not what the doctor ordered but, then again, I think all the blokes can be pleased with their winter, because a lot of hard work went into it.

Touring Sri Lanka in March is about as tough as it gets. What were the conditions like towards the end?
It was getting ridiculous, to be honest! March is the hottest month in Sri Lanka as it is, and then they had a heat-wave on top of that ... Even the locals were complaining about the heat, and when that happens you know you're struggling, especially after coming from minus-five conditions in England. The thing is, people will say our boys weren't fit enough, but I really don't think that's true. Our boys worked hard, we were put through our paces out there, and to put things in perspective, even one of the Sri Lankan players ended up on a drip in hospital, suffering from mass dehydration. So it was affecting all the teams, and it was like nothing I've ever experienced. But, having said that, it was a great experience, because I've never played in conditions like that, and now that we've done it, we won't be taken by surprise next time around.

I imagine, on a personal note, that your century in the second Test must be the highlight of the trip
I think that probably is my best first-class innings to date. To go in at 22 for 5 was tricky and we were up against good bowlers, but I enjoy those situations - I enjoy the pressure - and I was always going to be positive and take the game to them. On the day, that approach paid off. Unfortunately we didn't come away with the win - that was always the main objective; to get the hundred as well would have been the cherry on the top - but we came close, showed we had a lot of fight in that team and proved we weren't just going to roll over and die.

Apparently you took on their matchwinning legspinner, Malinga Bandara, with particular gusto. Can you see yourself doing that to Shane Warne later in the summer?
[Laughs] Although Malinga Bandara is a fantastic legspinner, I don't think he's quite in the same league as Shane Warne just yet! You never know in the future, but at the moment I think Warnie is a slightly different prospect. Having said that, if I did get my opportunity, I would probably just be my positive self as usual. I wouldn't change a whole lot as there is little point in dying in the hole thinking: "Oh my God, this is Shane Warne, what a legend". You may as well play your natural game and take it to him, and I imagine if I got the opportunity, that's what I'd do.

Being an Ashes year, do you think there was an extra incentive for the A squad on this tour?
The Ashes obviously gets a lot of publicity, and the Australian side is a fantastic team, but I think every A tour has the same amount of pressure and intensity, because you are made to realise that you are next in line. If you have a good A tour, if you prove yourself in hot and unfamiliar conditions, you never know what might happen. You're an injury or a loss of form away from being thrust straight in there. It's not just an Ashes year that causes it. If the guys don't have that intensity, there's no reason to be there, because it's a great honour to play for England A. You're nearly, nearly there, and it is up to the individual to put pressure on themselves, to make sure they don't let themselves down.

Of course, it's been a busy winter for you, because you actually made your full one-day debut in Zimbabwe before Christmas.
Yeah, there's been a bit of jetsetting around the world! But it's been thoroughly enjoyable. To make my one-day debut was a fantastic honour and probably the most enjoyable day's cricket I've had so far. I mean, to walk out to open the batting for England was amazing, even though the circumstances were unusual. I'm not being unrealistic. I realise a lot of guys were left out because of the political situation, but that doesn't take anything away from how it felt to play for England. It was just a taster of what international cricket is all about, but it proved to me that that is what I want, and I'm going to give 110% to make sure I get some more of it.

You were playing solely as a batsman on that occasion - have you been putting more time into your wicketkeeping since then?
I came away from Zimbabwe and made a firm decision to concentrate on the keeping. I suppose it really happened midway through last season when I started keeping for Sussex again - that was when I said to myself: "I really want to be a wicketkeeper-batsman". Since then I've really pushed hard on my keeping, and I've come back from Sri Lanka as happy with my keeping as I ever have been with my batting. And that's a big thing for me.

You've had Tim Ambrose alongside you at Sussex for several seasons now. Is it a help or a hindrance to develop your game without having to have the gloves all the time?
Timmy's a great player and a huge talent, but it's really up to me that I'm doing the right thing for myself. If I want to play for England, I have to first make sure I'm the best keeper at Sussex. With him being alongside me, it's been easy to share the burden, but now I've made my decision - I want to keep wicket, and I want to keep wicket all season, hopefully.

Have you turned yourself into a keeper, or did you always have a tendency to pick up the gloves as a youngster?
It all happened by accident really. Batting was my first love, but one day, when I was playing for the Under-13s, our wicketkeeper didn't turn up for the game. And I thought, I'll give it a go for five or ten overs, until it gets boring, but the coach said I looked a natural and got me in touch with Peter Moores [Sussex keeper-turned-coach]. We had one session together and I was hooked. My bat used to be the first thing I'd pick up, but now it's changing to be honest. You realise you've got to be doing the business with both, and you can't afford to let one drop for a minute.

You've worked closely with two wicketkeeper-coaches in Moores and Rod Marsh. What have you learned from each of them?
I've been very lucky indeed. I've had Peter Moores as my mentor since I was 12, I've had Rod up at Loughborough, and I've had some sessions with Alec Stewart as well. He's been a huge help, and it's great to have such a legend on hand to give not only technical advice, but support and the value of his experience as well. But Mooresy has been a great mentor to me, and to be honest, he deserves to go onto higher honours, and get a chance at international level.

And you must have benefited from having Mushtaq Ahmed bowling to you at Sussex.
Absolutely. Mushy is a fantastic guy to talk to, in terms of technique and the off-field pressures as well. When he's bowling, you're always in the game - you can never relax as he's always doing something. He always has something up his sleeve, and you have to be ready to back him up, and that can be quite a lot of pressure sometimes. But if you can keep well against him on a turning wicket, you can't help thinking: "I can do this".

What is the intrinsic worth of a wicketkeeper? What effect does a dropped catch have on a team?
To be honest, a dropped catch is a dropped catch, whether it's your keeper, or silly point, or short cover, or wherever. But because your keeper is a specific spot, there is a lot more pressure. It is your job not to drop catches. I know my areas. If any ball goes in there, I've got to catch that - not nine out of ten, but ten out of ten. Obviously mistakes happen because no-one is perfect, but if you miss an opportunity at Test level, it does pile the pressure on your team. But all you can do is work on your methods, become more consistent, cover the ground, and nail anything that enters those areas.

You now seem to be the man waiting in the wings for the full England side. What did Duncan Fletcher have to say to you at the end of your Zimbabwe tour?
It was a bit of a shame I didn't get more opportunities in Zimbabwe, but Vikram Solanki and Ian Bell played brilliantly, so Duncan just said he was happy and impressed with my efforts, and advised me to keep working hard on my keeping and keep my head down. That was it, really. There was nothing major, just work hard, get the runs, get the stats. Common sense really!

It's a strange coincidence that you, like Andrew Strauss, were actually born in Johannesburg ...
Yeah, it's quite funny - you look at myself, Straussy and Kevin Pietersen, all of us were born out in South Africa. But for me they are almost forgotten days now. I love Africa, but they are fading memories. I am absolutely English, my home is in Brighton, and my only goal is to play for England.

How are you preparing for the new season?
At the moment I'm being left to my own devices. I'll be doing my own training for the next week, ahead of the MCC game against Warwickshire at Lord's, and then on Tuesday it's straight into the county season, our first championship game against Surrey at The Oval.