Postcard: Andre Nel - Learning the ropes

I was at home relaxing with my family when I heard of my selection for the SA team to tour the West Indies. I was very chuffed and happy and from that day on I looked forward to learning as much as possible from the other guys while on tour.

It felt like a dream at the time when I heard of the announcement but now the dream has turned into a reality and here I am in the West Indies, sitting in the dressing room and experiencing Test match cricket.

The first week on tour was quite hard, as I didn't know many of the guys that well. However, after the first practice session, I settled down and started mixing it with them and it is going real nice now.

I am rooming with Justin Kemp and although I didn't know him too well to begin with, we have connected and getting to know him a little has been good.

For the first three-day warm-up game, I was 12th man and it was good to see how these national players prepare for a day's cricket. I was looking forward to the first Test to watch their moods, see how they prepare and listen to the game plan talks from the coaches.

And now that we are in the middle of the first Test, it really is an awesome experience. To me, it is very different to four-day cricket back home. The guys here are really focussed and they understand what their individual roles are and you can see how they go about trying to put into place what is required and needed for the team.

I am starting to feel like a part of the team, and I am relating to them on a similar level. Its been good to pick their brains and get to know guys like DJ, AD, Polly and Jacques and see how they apply themselves to their own games.

Being up close with them has motivated me even more to improve my own game and play test match cricket too, perhaps in the near future. When I get the chance I'll hopefully be ready for it and will take the opportunity and let not let the team or myself down.

The evenings have been spent eating dinner together and having a few drinks around the poolside at the hotel. It's a great opportunity to mingle with these guys as they have been my role models for a few years and now I have the chance to learn for them directly and pick their brains.

Being on the sidelines during a Test match means that you have to stay sharp and keep working hard on your own game and your fitness. Us twelfthies have a net in the afternoon and we do extra fitness to keep up with the guys who are playing on the field.

Guyana is not the best part of the Caribbean but it's given us the opportunity to spend some time together as a team. However, I'm looking forward to seeing some of the other islands as I've heard that they are pretty special and idyllic places to see and tour.

Until another time this is Andre Nel signing off for CricInfo.