Hold on tight! © Cricinfo Ltd

On Sunday we were all up and raring to take on the Aussies in our third match. I won the toss and elected to bat on a wicket that we thought would break up. It didn’t start too well for us with Caroline Atkins pulling a quad muscle in the first over. A good bowling attack reduced us to 37 for 4, but a great innings from Claire Taylor of 113 off 115 balls guided us to a respectable 216.

We started well after the break with an early wicket, but the Australians’ powerful hitting took them to the target in 40 overs, earning them the first bonus point of the competition. This was our worst performance of the tour to date and we knew we’d need to improve if we want to have any chance of making the final.

That night we had the only official function of the tour at the Australian and New Zealand hotel. They’d done it up really nicely and to greet us was a collage of all four country flags made out of flowers. We then went up to the room where we all had dots put on our head as we were welcomed in.

It was great to catch up with all the players and management from the other squads and have a bit of a dance to some proper Indian music.

On Monday we had a day off from everything – no training, no media, no nothing – so it was a chance for all the players to rest and recover from a hard week. It was the first opportunity for me to spend any proper time by the pool in the sun, so I made the most of it. In the afternoon we all made the decision to go to the cinema to watch “Music and Lyrics” with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. It started with quite a scary tuk-tuk ride, which, after some severe bartering we managed to get down to 50 rupees.

We arrived at a really plush cinema with leather seats and loads of leg room and got stuck into the chocolate and sprite on offer. It was a hilarious movie, made funnier by the Indian audience cheering and wolf-whistling Drew Barrymore at every opportunity. It was great to get out and do something completely detached from cricket and I’d recommend the film to anyone.

On Tuesday we resumed training and had a light session at the main stadium. It was a positive session and we all came away from it really up for the game against India. Another massage (back this time) made the afternoon go a little bit quicker for us all and after some naan bread with peanut butter and jam for dinner, we all headed to bed for an early night.

It was another early start for us today to get to the ground with plenty of time for warm-ups. I lost my first toss of the tour and we were put into bat on quite a greenish pitch. Again, an early batting collapse meant we were 37 for 4 and needing consolidation. A maiden international half-century for Lydia Greenway allowed us to reach 143 after our terrible start. She was well-supported along the way by debutante Lynsey Askew who hit 24. Although we gave a really good team effort in the field, 143 was never enough and India reached the target in the 39th over.

That leaves us bottom of the table with no wins under our belt and no chance of making the final on Monday. We play Australia tomorrow and I’m sure with the talent we’ve got we can pull ourselves out of the rut we’ve got ourselves into. We’re playing for a lot of pride now and I know the girls are determined to get back to winning ways.

	Charlotte Edwards hands Ebony Rainford-Brent her first England cap © Cricinfo Ltd

The day of our first game dawned and we were all up at 6am to get some breakfast in before leaving at seven. We arrived at Mac A and were escorted to our plush dressing room complete with leather seats. The day started well with me winning my first toss and electing to field.

The Indians got off to a great start with their opening pair putting on 121, but we fought back really well to restrict them to 231 from the 50 overs. We were really happy we’d kept them to that and were confident we could chase it down as it was a good pitch and a quick outfield.

Our reply started well being 82 for 2 off 20 overs. However the loss of key wickets at key times, coupled with Claire Taylor not being on top form and therefore batting lower down the order, we fell 18 runs short. I was bitterly disappointed as we were in a great position and the target was always achievable. Everyone was really disappointed but there were many positives to come out of it and there were still five more games left.

On Thursday we headed to the other ground for an early training session and a debrief about the game. It was quite a light session but everyone got out of it what they wanted and we all felt ready to face the Kiwis the next day. That afternoon I met up with one of England’s all-time greats, not just at cricket, but also football, the legendary Clare Taylor, who is assistant coach to the New Zealand women’s team. We had some PG Tips and shared some banter about the following day’s game. It was good to see her on such good form – New Zealand life obviously suits her.

We had an early night in preparation for another big day. Another really early start meant we were at the ground for 7.30. This time we were playing at Chemplast, a university ground set in the middle of a campus where deers and monkeys roam free. I won my second toss (am loving these Indian coins!) and put the Kiwis into bat.

On a lightning outfield they got off to a brisk start, but we managed to reel them in throughout the middle of the innings until the last ten overs, during which they amassed over 100 runs with some powerful hitting from Sarah Tsukigawa and Nicola Browne. They finished on 291 for 6. Although it was a disappointing last ten overs from our perspective, on that pitch we felt 291 was a gettable target.

Our chase however didn’t start particularly well losing Caroline Atkins first ball and Laura Newton following quickly for 12. A good partnership between Claire and Sarah Taylor of 82 set us up nicely though. But the loss of these key batsmen in fairly quick succession meant we had to rebuild for a few overs.

I was at the crease and had good partnerships with both Lydia Greenway and Beth Morgan and we needed 60 off the last ten overs with four wickets in the bank. But some tight bowling and me losing my wicket for 86 eventually cost us the game, this time falling short by 19 runs. We were all really gutted and the bus journey back to the hotel was very subdued. Again, there were lots of positives to take forward, not least Ebony Rainford-Brent’s full England debut, but it’s hard to take them on board when you’ve just lost again.

But I know we’ll pick ourselves up as we’ve got possibly our biggest game of the tournament against the Aussies on Sunday. After a game of football on Saturday morning, we had the afternoon off to prepare. It’s a must-win fixture for both sides, so it’s bound to be a “gripper”.

	A gentle warm-up ahead of a big game © Cricinfo Ltd

We were looking to train early in the first week to get the girls used to getting up early and playing in the conditions. All our ODIs start at 9.30am because it gets dark quite early here, so we’re just getting used to the earlier starts! This means we’ve had some quite long afternoons, so on Friday we organised a trip to the local supermarket where we all stocked up on crisps, sprite, biscuits and chocolate éclairs!

That night we went to an official meeting at the main stadium where we went over the logistics of the tournament – all very amicable. On Saturday morning we held a light training session and gave the bowlers a rest. So instead we had a group of Under-17 schoolboys bowl at us in the nets. It was a great experience for both parties, but unfortunately they came off worse because I hit one of them in the back! I felt awful, but he got some treatment from physio Sue Hughes, so he was happy!

In the afternoon a group of the girls went to a local orphanage to meet the kids. The players were all moved by what they saw and it’s a shame the schedule is so tightly packed because we would all have liked the opportunity to go. That evening was our big night out as we headed over the road to Pizza Hut. Having had rice, noodles and curry all week, it was a welcome change! We all pigged out on garlic bread and “country feast” pizzas! Then we all had an early night in preparation for our first of two practice matches against India ‘B’.

We set ourselves a 6.30am wake-up call to ensure we got the bus packed on time and were ready for a 7.15am leave, at which point the heavens opened and I thought our first practice match was likely to be cancelled. All the girls rushed back upstairs to collect books, magazines and waterproofs, but much to my delight when we arrived at the ground there had somehow been no rain even though it was only twenty minutes away.

I won my first toss of the tour and elected to bat on a really good wicket and what looked to be a quick outfield. We were looking to use our whole squad for the game to give them all a chance to play in the heat and humidity. We got off to a solid start before losing two wickets in quick succession. Me and Claire Taylor batted well together with her going on to reach 52 before retiring to give others an opportunity to bat in the conditions. I hit a quick 46, swept really well, including a few reverse sweeps – something I’ve been working on over the winter so I was quite pleased. We finished on 260 with all of the girls having the opportunity to bat and we were happy with our first run out of the tour. India ‘B’ got off to a brisk start, being 100 for 2 off 20 overs but the bowlers came back really well with Holly Colvin taking five wickets to bowl them all out for 163. It was a really pleasing performance bearing in mind we haven’t played together since August.

It was another early start for us on Monday as we were playing our second warm-up game, this time against India ‘A’ at the main stadium. I lost my first toss of the tour – am sure it won’t be my last – and India ‘A’ elected to bat. We gave a really professional bowling and fielding performance and we got them all out for 66 with the bowlers sharing the workload. The most pleasing part of that being Ebony (Rainford-Brent), who took her first wicket in three years. She bowled a brilliant spell of 2-8 off five overs. We lost two early wickets in our reply, then Claire Taylor and I saw us past the required runs in 15.1 overs.

It was a quick turnaround for me after the game because it was the official press conference for the series. I was on the panel with Karen Rolton (Australian captain) and Haidee Tiffen (New Zealand), all answering various questions, but nothing too controversial.

I’m writing this by the pool sunbathing in the 30c heat before I go in for my massage at 11am. We’ve got a light training session this afternoon before our first official game tomorrow against India at the main stadium. The team are really excited about it and we can’t wait for the tournament to get underway.

Our preparations for this tour started two weeks ago at the National Cricket Centre in Loughborough, with all the girls eager and raring to go. We had some good indoor practices over the weekend and did some fine tuning to our fielding with our specialist fielding coach, Richard Halsall. It was the first time we had the whole squad together as we were rejoined by Beth (Morgan) and Jenny (Gunn), who have spent the past four months playing cricket in Australia. On the Sunday evening we had a really nice team meal, finished with a piece of birthday cake for our Manager Neil Rider.

On Monday we headed down to Heathrow, after our official weigh-in with all our bags. We each had a limit of 50kg and unfortunately, but not unsurprisingly, I weighed in heaviest due to my tour ketchup supply! (and maybe a few jars of jam…) We stayed in a hotel close to the airport as we had an early start on Tuesday morning to catch our flight.

I was up at 5.30am and it finally dawned on me that now was the time that all our hard work, practice and dedication was going to be put to the test on one of the toughest continents. Despite the hour the girls were very chirpy and upbeat.

There was a lot of press to greet us (ha ha) – I think they had more to do with British Airways’ baggage restrictions than our forthcoming quadrangular series – something I can relate to - but it got us more coverage nonetheless. It was ironic that the men’s squad arrived just as we were leaving. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see Fred [Andrew Flintoff] and the boys, but what a great comeback for them in the tri-nations series down under.

After 11 hours travelling we arrived in Chennai at 1am local time. Although very tired we were all excited at the prospect of being in India again, especially Ebony (Rainford-Brent) who’s never been to India before. After a short bus ride we arrived at our resplendent hotel and were quickly into our rooms for some well-earned sleep. The majority of us got lovely, spacious rooms, but two of our players were assigned the 22,000 rupees/night suite complete with lounge, dining room and guest bathroom as well as two ensuite bedrooms and an upstairs! This is proof that captains don’t reap the rewards!

We spent our first day here getting used to the heat, which is nearing 30 degrees, and exploring what the hotel has to offer - massages for £2 amongst other things - so I think we’ll be indulging ourselves! Tired from the travelling, me and my roommate Jenny “what an arm” Gunn had an early night, only to be awake watching Arsenal v Bolton from midnight to 2am.

We had our first training session on Thursday at the main stadium. It went brilliantly due to some excellent facilities and we were lucky enough to get some fielding done on the main outfield. All the girls coped well with the conditions and it was a really promising start for us. We’re practised again on Friday, getting ready for the two warm-up games on Sunday and Monday against India ‘A’ and ‘B’. We’re all really looking forward to playing some cricket again after what seems like a long winter back home.

A terrific day for Kenya, one they fully deserve to enjoy. They were the pre-tournament favourites, undoubtedly, but wanted to win just that little bit extra. It meant a lot to them – that much was obvious.

I’ve been so impressed with their spirit, not to mention skill. When Maurice Ouma needlessly ran himself out today his partner, David Obuya, flung his bat in the air several metres behind his head. Isolated, the incident smacked of the bad, old, petulant Kenya. But actually, it was the new, fighting, don’t-waste-your-wicket-away Kenya; they don’t just want to win, but win well. It is a hugely encouraging sign and Roger Harper deserves credit for instilling in them this new fighting spirit.

The day was blighted somewhat by the news that Darrell Hair was to sue the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board. We weren’t expecting it (nor was Darrell, to be fair) and the news came through at about 10.30 Kenya time (07.30GMT), around the time Scotland were throwing away the cup. I bumped into a vaguely familiar face, or one I thought I recognised: Adam Mynott, the BBC’s East Africa correspondent who had been dispatched on the same mission: to extract information from Hairstone. I knew both of us would lose, and so we did.

Some of the media, me included, made the most of the post-match celebrations by joining in the traditional photographers-scrum; a messy mass of elbows, jostling and swearing preceded by flashing cameras, ably led by Ian Jacobs, a seasoned Scot who’s kindly been lending Cricinfo his photos. But we were due upstairs for Darrell’s press conference and missed the beginning of Kenya’s party.

After setting up a brilliant makeshift press conference – a tiny card table, one chair to the backdrop of a very old ping pong table – the main man arrived. Cameras were pointed; lighting went up; laptops were opened and Dictaphones thrown onto the table. “Sorry to do this to you,” he said, “but it’s been re-scheduled for 6pm. At The Hilton.” The press corps can move at apace when they want to; the cameras were dismounted and everyone sprinted out, wary of Nairobi’s notorious traffic. It all went smoothly at The Hilton, although hosting it on the landing of the first floor was decidedly crap. At least our ping pong tables lent some class to proceedings, however aging...

My evening chats with the wonderfully named Newton Maina, one of the waiters at the Club, have been nothing short of revelatory. On tonight’s verbal menu came elephants. Newton lives “just down the road” – 260km down the road. “Yes, elephants are very huge. We killed one!” he announced. I’m from Britain, a country where you’re not really allowed to do, say, eat or kill anything unless our Tony tells us to. Not so here. “It was a nuisance and a danger to our village,” Newton told me, “so we had to kill it” which seems reasonable enough. It fed over 300 people, each of whom had enough meat for three days. I hope Tesco aren’t reading, let alone Waitrose...or, indeed, the chef here.

	No time to wait © Will Luke

Last night’s closing ceremony was a big, loud, extravagant feast of an occasion. Suitably hosted at the Safari Park Hotel – a hotel large enough for me to lose a taxi driver inside its grounds – it was a luxuriant way to end the tournament. Tom Tikolo did his very best to control a hungry audience once the half-dozen speeches had finished, by letting the teams go up to the buffet in alphabetical order. Bermuda went first (cue wry jibes from cynical hacks on the media table), then Canada...but the decorum ended there and, led by the scavenging media, we descended on the mountain of food like a pack of hyenas. Apologies to the diplomats and dignitaries present for queue-jumping, but well done for joining in.

The food was magnificent, waiters serving meat, cut from the bone, off giant forks, right onto our plates. It was not the place for squeamish vegetarians – a meat lover’s paradise. Beef, lamb, chicken and even some I didn’t recognise, but it all tasted damn fine.

The humble travellers’ cheque doesn’t carry the weight it once did. At least, that’s what I have found out today. Seven tellers from seven banks in Nairobi’s central business district each turned up their noses at my crisp £20 notes which had been safely ensconced inside the safe in my room. One from Barclays even laughed at them, as though I was handling some dodgy notes made in my doss house from Fakeacheqistan. Eventually I found a “Forex” who agreed to take them, the relief even prompting me to propose to the girl behind the desk. I don’t know what I would’ve done had she agreed. Fortunately she wasn’t nearly as mad as me, turned me down and handed over my Kenyan shillings.

	A baby elephant at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust © Will Luke

The Nairobi Hospital is a big, beasting building which most Nairobi taxi drivers seem proud of. “One of the best hospitals in Africa” they tell me. Until yesterday, I muttered my approval but hadn’t expected to visit it. After being struck down with the finest food poisoning Africa can serve, I did visit it – and very good they were too.

Runs a plenty. Before the proverbial hit the non-existent fan, I went to one of the many sports clubs to speak to Scotland prior to yesterday’s game. Their training session was to be held at the Sir Ali Muslim Club (SAMC), a run-down and rather decrepit, sad looking place. Khan, the manager, stood motionless inside the gloomy hallways and spoke at length of the club’s ailing fortunes. Like many, they need money. Desperately. And they don’t know when it will come, nor how much they will get.

The money is there though. Each of the grounds that I have seen all deserve their ODI status. The pitches are good and true (the outfields, as one Ireland player told me, are “pretty shoddy” in some cases) and the facilities, on the whole, are impressive. However, the problem facing Kenya has more to do with the link between schools and these clubs. The better the facilities these clubs can offer, the greater the chances of producing more Kenyan internationals.

As I should’ve suspected having spent a week in Africa, Scotland’s planned training session, at 9.00am, was moved. “Maybe they’ll be here at 3, maybe 5,” Khan told me. So on the way back to my hotel I stopped off at The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (who rely on donations). They only open for one hour each day, between 11 and midday, as the orphaned elephants aren’t yet used to human contact. You wouldn’t have believed it, though, as they marched around, oblivious to the 40 or so onlookers, and wallowed in the mud beneath our feet - even spraying a group of Americans who got a little too close with mud and water.

	Groundsmen lift water from a soggy outfield at Ruaraka © Will Luke

Travelling in Nairobi is an exercise in patience. Fortunately, I am now on brilliant terms with nearly every taxi driver in the city – all of whom, somehow, seem to know me. I certainly know them. Daniel knows Joseph who knows Albert who knows...and so on. A trip that should take five minutes invariably takes 40 and, in that respect, it’s not unlike driving in London. Without the white vans.

But it’s much, much more fun; people casually walk across the main road, stopping cars with an invisible force field. Roundabouts are more stopabouts, or jamabouts, and everyone is relaxed about the whole affair. They're relaxed about everything in fact. A five-minute delay in Britain reduces some drivers to quivering, shaking wrecks, spitting venom at anyone who will ignore them, although perhaps that’s just me. I realised last night that tapping the dashboard with my angry fingers was going to get no one anywhere, least of all me and my driver to our destination.

I’m at Ruaraka today, a ground more English than many in England; an almost perfect circle with mature acacia trees around the boundary, broken up by the advertising boards around it. It took some finding, though, as there are two clubs called Ruaraka within spitting distance of each other. In fact, this whole area is chock full of sporting clubs, often sponsored by various banks – squash, cricket grounds, gyms and others all crammed into a small area – which is terrific to see.

I was reminded by a player yesterday that my comparisons between Britain and Kenya aren’t very instructive. There are problems in Britain, problems in Africa – problems everywhere and, in that respect, he felt it was pointless highlighting them. True enough. But there is a fine line between comparisons and criticism. For a Briton visiting Nairobi for the first time, comparisons are inevitable...but I’ll keep them as just that: comparisons.

Hakuna matata.