I share some thoughts with the skipper (r)

Four years ago, we let England into the Ashes contest with a disastrous first session of play in the first Test of the series.

On that morning, a rampaging England sent shivers through our changing room with a destructive two hours of aggressive fast bowling.

If a lesson was learnt from that outing, it was that nothing can ever be taken for granted in Test cricket.

The second lesson is simply that the first session of play is crucial to the outcome of the game.

A massive psychological advantage can be gained in those initial two hours of play.

As long as Steve Waugh has been captain of this team, he has stressed the significance of winning session one of the Test match.

If you are bowling, then early wickets instantly put your opponent under enormous pressure.

Conversely, a wicket-less session if you are batting tends to deflate your opponent's spirit, giving you a solid foundation to build the remainder of the match around.

Waugh is keen for us to start well

Obviously, any team can fight back from a poor first session, but in terms of significance to the outcome of the match, there is rarely a more crucial time.

To finish the meeting, 'Tugga' read out a comment made by an MCC member after the guys had won the one-day tournament at Lord's a few weeks ago.

It was said the "team looked like a group of prize fighters as they walked through the Long Room and out onto the hallowed turf".

As ready as the successful one-day team were a fortnight ago, I believe the Test team will be as primed up, if not more, for the start of this exciting Ashes series of 2001.

I obviously hope the result will be the same.

From cricket's point of view, I hope we see one of the great Ashes series.

From Edgbaston

JL