'Don't mention McGrath and Warne'

You turned 34 a week ago. Have you achieved all that you thought you could achieve?
Yes. I've achieved more than I thought I could ever achieve. Nothing beats putting on the baggy green.

Are you as disciplined in daily life as you are with your bowling?
I am in certain things and in certain things I'm not. I'm very good with my time, but if I'm not interested in doing something then I find it very hard to do.

Has sledging worked for you?
In my experience, no. Sledging is very much overrated. If people sledge me then I know I'm getting under their skins and I take it more as a compliment.

Have you ever taken an IQ test?
I've never done a test. I don't think my IQ is really high.

What's the most embarrassing thing that happened to you on a cricket field?
In the Brisbane Test against New Zealand in 2008, I was running for two but I slipped and fell. As I got up I slipped again. I ran down the non-striker's end and dived into the crease. Then I realised the fielder had yet to pick the ball.

Tell us something we don't know about you.
I still work part-time at a bank.

Is there a moment in cricket history which you wish you could re-enact, where you would be the player who turned the game on its head?
When Sarfaraz [Nawaz] got nine wickets in a spell at the MCG in 1979. If I'm able to do that that'll be great.

Have you ever met Sarfraz Nawaz? How did you get the nick?
I've never met him. It was given by Mark Waugh when I was young. He thought I bowled in a similar style. I didn't really like it and I objected to it. And when you object to something it sticks.

Who is the Australian batsman you've always got out in the nets?
I used to get Steve Waugh quite a few times. It must've been a fluke.

What's your favourite Greg Matthews moment?
Last year we were playing Phil Jaques in club cricket. I bowled the first over and Greg bowled the second. Greg got him out first ball and ran straight to square leg, celebrating, and said to the umpire, "Give me 10". The umpire didn't know what to do!

What is the one question media should be banned from asking you?
Nobody is allowed to ask about Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. They retired years ago. Nobody should ask about the rebuilding process.

What's one thing you do that McGrath couldn't?
I bat better.

What's the most important thing a hotel room should have?
Beds. Big beds.

Ever had a funny incidents with an umpire?
Once, during a domestic game in Australia when I bowled a bouncer and the umpire signalled a wide. I was like, "Are you kidding?" He just looked at me and asked me to piss off back to my mark. I started laughing and he started laughing. It was funny and calmed everything down.

Who is the best character you've played cricket with?
Darren Lehmann. He was a fun guy who played the game hard but enjoyed himself as well.

Who is your favourite athlete outside cricket?
Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Roger Federer. It is very hard to look past athletes who make the game look so easy. We're all playing the game, but they were playing a different game.

What's the one thing you should never do in Australia as a tourist?
Never go and try and drink with the locals.

Name one of your favourite cricketing moments.
The day Warne got his 700th Test wicket: I remember he bowled Andrew Strauss with a proper, big legbreak that drifted in and spun and he just took off in front of the 90,000 who erupted. The emotions that came out were unbelievable.