Cricketers in Soccer City

Cricketers in Soccer City

Enrique Iglesias performs before the start of the opening game© Getty Images

While I've been here, I've tried to do some other activities away from the cricketing world. This has ranged from a couple of safaris to quad biking to finally jumping out of a plane! That’s right - I finally fulfilled one of my biggest ambitions and went for a skydive. I can't begin to explain what it feels like to be plummeting towards the earth from 11,000 ft, but I can highly recommend it to everybody - it truly was one of the best experiences of my life! The reason I've included this is because I think that it is equally important to get away from the cricketing side of things to clear one's head once in a while, especially in a tournament like this which is short but extremely intense.

Anyway, enough of my escapades. On Thursday, the coach Ray Jennings organised a trip to Soccer City, the stadium that hosted both the opening match and the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was really amazing to see the vastness of the stadium, and to be able to walk on the pitch (something that is not normally allowed). The lads all had a great time, and there was plenty of banter. From here, we went to the house where Nelson Mandela grew up in Soweto. And along with everybody else, I was really filled with a sense of awe to be standing so close to the place that such a great man once lived in. Truly inspiring.

Following on, we attended the kick-off concert where Enrique Iglesias performed. It was nice to see so many cricketers from the different teams in attendance. Before this started, each of the ten captains was introduced to the crowd, wearing their respective team kits. They then signed the ICC Spirit of Cricket pledge before rejoining the action. I have to say, without being biased, we definitely have the best team uniform! People will have all sorts of views about our squad but one thing’s for sure - we simply look the best!

From whatever I've seen so far, I think the organisers have done a wonderful job in putting this championship together, and we are in for a real treat over the next 16 days.