We were told emphatically that wives and partners were not allowed to join the touring party until the last two weeks of the four-month tour. We needed to prepare properly for this important tour and boy, did we. Boonie started the tour off beautifully by breaking Doug Walters' and Rod Marsh's record by downing 52 cans from Sydney to London. Perfect start! We had a long tour scheduled. We had to play six Tests and 14 first-class matches and a host of one-day matches along the way. The problem for us was after we played a Test Match we had to travel that night to our next destination and play a first-class match the next day. This strategy worked well until we won the fourth Test and the Ashes at Old Trafford.

Yes, the "keg on legs" David Boon hit the winning runs and what a party we had that night. First, I must say thanks to the touring management for not sending Boonie home in disgrace after his "Big Drink". The best memory for the tour was when Boonie stood on top of the table in the rooms and belted out the chant, Underneath the Southern Cross. We sang songs like I Still Call Australia Home and Khe Sanh for an hour in the showers. The 17 players and management, all naked with a beverage in hand, just rejoicing on a wonderful achievement. It's a boy thing. I wished my dad was with me to celebrate with us. So I rang him from the balcony at Old Trafford to say thanks for helping me convert my dream into reality. My mum hated watching me play. So she went outside to garden to take her mind off me playing. Even if it was 4am. So I told Dad it was time for Mum to come inside. It was 8pm on the last day of the fourth Test when we realised that we had to travel to Nottingham to play in a first-class match the next day. Allan Border and Terry Alderman said that they had injuries and we didn't believe them. There was a three-hour bus trip and some partying to be had before the game started the next day. When we arrived that night in Trent Bridge we had to find a night club. We saw one across the road and hurdled a fence that left us with paint on our hands that couldn't be removed for seven days.

Geoff Marsh woke me and four others at 10am and we headed off to our game against Nottingham. We thought five players was enough for a team. Nottingham captain Derek Randall picked up Marsh and went out for the toss. Marsh pleaded to Randall that it was too far to walk to the middle, so could they do the toss from the boundary. Marsh couldn't be bothered looking at the pitch.

When Marsh won the toss and elected to bat, Randall couldn't believe his luck. Nottingham had produced a pitch that was as green as the outfield. Marsh told Randall to follow him to the dressing rooms to see why he chose to bat. When Marsh opened our dressing room door, all Randall could see was four Australian batsmen padded up and lying asleep on the dressing room floor. "These are the only 'fit' players we have," Marsh told him. For the record, we won in two days. There were other records broken on this 1989 Ashes Tour. The Australian team was asked to compete in the Highland Games. The whole team turned up in kilts and sporrans and got into the swing of things. Tom Moody had to stand on top of a keg and was asked to throw a haggis. Moody was a "little under the weather", and asked what the world record was? It is documented in the Guinness Book of Records that Moody threw a haggis 71 metres! The haggis landed up on a car parked well outside the marked landing area! Was there anything we couldn't do? When I look at this 2009 Australian Ashes squad, I ask: Who could beat Boonie's 52 can record from Sydney to London? Who could throw a haggis more than 233 feet? And, last, will they win the series 4-0? Times have changed indeed. Their only chance is to win 4-0.