Monday's double-header allowed me to flee London and head out to Nottingham for an overnight stay.

A frantic dash through St Pancras Station, a missed train and some officious persuasion of an underpaid conductor later and the trip was off to a dodgy start. Thankfully though, the lenient nuts and bolts of Brit Rail journey worked out in the end and I made it to Trent Bridge in time for the awe-inspiring national anthem of the Irish.

As Ireland booted Bangladesh out of the tournament and Sri Lanka followed suit with the ousting of Australia, the day's work was done and staving off the need for sleep, I summoned the energy to explore my newfound surroundings.

Hungry and recently told Moulon Rouge was thee place to eat fish and chips in Nottingham I duly set off for the Church Square eatery. There the proprietors - namely George from Cyprus - promptly picked up on my accent and confidently enquired if I was an American.

Appalled at his presumption, I patriotically exclaimed that I was indeed a South African and in that we quickly found commonground as he told me of his 2006 visit to Cape Town and his love for the "beautiful woman" there. The subject of the World Twenty20 too came up and despite his little knowledge of the game, he came to one conclusion many a pundit would concur with - India will win it.

As with other every Englishman and Cyprian-cum-Englishman around the country, George - who is a big fan of our sister site Football365 I might add - was pleased to hear the Aussies were no longer part of proceedings and also managed a bit of limited insight into Pakistan's chances, remarking that "they're a rotten team".

With George's concentration on the subject at hand waning and my appetite duly appeased, I moved on further down Mansfield road where I encountered five Sri Lankan fans beating their makeshift drums and blowing their homemade trumpets outside Maryland Chicken. As the franchise manager chased them away and their collective noise drowned out that of the nightclub across the road, I stood listening as their animated chants of "Sri Lan Ka! Sr Lan Ka!" faded into the distance.

On my way back to my temporarily adopted accommodation I overheard a couple of tipsy Irishmen trying to explain the ins and outs of Twenty20 cricket to an Australian and what I think may have been a Pole.

Needless to say the drunken slur of the 'orators' coupled with the embellishment of their country's win over the Tigers flattered to deceive the man from Down Under. However, the Polish bloke seemed deeply intrigued, and unless he was just pretending, may have genuinely taken an interest in what was being haphazardly explained to him. The same could not be said for 'Bruce', who was having none of it and had since departed from the tram in a huff.

So, it's back to London for a double-header at Lord's on Tuesday, the second half of which sees South Africa play New Zealand. And while there won't be too many Irishmen, Poles and Cyprians around, I do hope George is watching as the 'Americans' look to down the Black Caps.