Mark Ramprakash has said in an exclusive interview with www.surreycricket.com that he has not retired from international cricket and that it would be great to be selected as part of the England Test squad for the winter tours.

Surrey’s star batsman had another fantastic season for his Club. Mirroring his form in 2006, he scored over 2000 runs, nearly 700 runs more than anyone else in the country, and averaged over 100 - the first person to achieve this feat in the history of first class cricket in England. It is this truly phenomenal effort that has sparked the rumour mill into action, suggesting that there might be an international re-call on the horizon for the 38 year-old.

“The situation is very simple!” Ramprakash explained to www.surreycricket.com “I have not retired from international cricket because I have not felt the need to. I am very happy with the way I have been playing and I have really enjoyed the cricket I have played over the last few years.”

“It would be great to be selected for the Test team and to put the England shirt on again but at the same time, if it does not happen then that will be fine too. I have quite a lot I want to concentrate on this winter before building up for the start of next season with Surrey.”

So when he says he has things to concentrate on, could he be referring to his appearance on the BBC Show Strictly Come Dancing? It was this time last year that the right-handed batsman started to become more famous for donning the sequins rather than the cricket whites. And he returned to the BBC studios for the opening night of the fifth series last weekend.

“Arriving back at the BBC Studios and walking through the gates all the memories started flooding back.” He recalled.

“When I got into the dressing rooms, I really got the nervous feeling of having to go out and perform. Those were some of the toughest times when I was on the show last year.”

“Having said that, I was really made to feel welcome by all the staff on the show and at the studios. It was nice to see everyone again and to be honest a bit of a relief to be a member of the audience and not there competing.”

“I was able to meet all of this year’s competitors when I was back stage and they all seemed really nice although you could sense the nervous expectation. I tried my best to reassure them and tell them to go out and enjoy themselves.”

So having arrived at the studios, it must have been very strange not to have been getting ready for the competition but to actually be on the other side of it all, observing everything going on.

“The nicest part of being in the crowd this time around was the fact that I realised actually how much they wanted the dancers to do well. It is something that you do not sense when you are competing because you are concentrating so hard on the routine. No one in the crowd worries if you make a mistake, they are just there to support you and the show.”

Having been a member of the crowd and watched all the acts, it was then time for Ramprakash to give the audience a surprise performance. After over 10 months away from the dance floor, the Surrey man resumed his partnership with Karen Hardy.

“I was a bit nervous getting back on the dance floor with Karen but it was nothing like what it felt when we were competing. For a start, I did not have to face the comments from the judges, which relaxed me a lot.”

“Karen and I had a couple of practice sessions before the show and it was like we had never stopped because we picked up the routine very quickly. We chose to dance the Salsa again, which we performed in the final last year.”

“Karen made the show for me last year and it was so nice to get the chance to dance with her again.”

With the Strictly Come Dancing appearance out of the way, Ramprakash will probably find that in comparison to last year, when he was training six times a week and eight hours a day, he will have a great deal more time on his hands. But what is he going to be getting up to?

“I have a few things planned for the first part of the winter, but not a great deal after that. Kirsty Gallagher and I are hosting a holiday for some competition winners in association with Adez fruit juices. And after that I am heading out to Barbados for the Fred Rumsey Pro Am, which is an annual cricket tournament.”

“I am also going to take part in another dance programme in aid of Sport Relief. All I know about it is that the show pairs sporting personalities with each other for a one off dance competition, but I do not know who I am being paired with yet.”

“Other than that, I will be spending quite a bit of time trying to organise my testimonial year for next season. I will also look to play a bit of golf and watch some football whilst spending some time with the family.”

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