Legend has it that the great Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards learned his trade and developed his eagle eye on the white sands of Antigua. As a youngster I vividly remember reading cricket books that hosted pictures of the West Indian superstar, playing beach cricket in a pair of running shorts, and wielding a huge lump of wood that he used as some sort of weapon.

The memory of the master blaster's earliest practice facility sparked an ambition to one day play West Indian-style beach cricket in the Caribbean. This afternoon my ambition was realised when Richie Richardson invited the team down to his new beach hotel, known as 'Lashings', for a game of beach cricket.

From the experience I can understand why Viv's reflexes were as sharp as a razor. In this idyllic setting we took on the 'Lashings XI' and had our backsides whipped by the more experienced beach cricket campaigners.

Although we left the bar less than victorious, my expectation of the fun of cricket on the sands of the Caribbean was not to be denied. All the boys enjoyed a sensational afternoon on the most beautiful cricket surroundings that any of us have ever experienced. Hopefully the opposition in the Test series is not going to have as much of a home ground advantage as our counterparts enjoyed today.

Before beach cricket this afternoon, we had our first training session for the tour at the Antiguan Cricket Centre inside Club Antigua. While the facilities were a far cry from the WACA or Adelaide Oval, the nets were flat and the outfield lush allowing us to enjoy a fruitful first-up loosener.

With our first game of the tour starting tomorrow, all the boys were happy to kick off the jet lag blues and swap dark sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts for our cricket bats, training shirts and new cricket balls.

Our first team meeting with newly appointed captain Stephen Waugh at the helm followed a sharp training session. 'Tugga's' first address to the team was very motivating and inspiring. He told us what he expected of the team and how he thought we could continue to function and improve as the best Test-playing nation in the world.

The first Test is only 10 days away, and as far as he is concerned the time has come for all of us to click into cricket mode. I am sure everyone will be raring to go on March 5 when the first ball of the first Test is due to be bowled.

If tonight's team meeting is anything to go by, we will be very well prepared for anything the West Indies have to throw at us.

From Antigua, JL