Prized asset: Glenn McGrath went from over the hill to leading man in a week © Getty Images Enlarge

England have been encouraged to target Glenn McGrath during the Ashes by both the bowler and Ricky Ponting. McGrath showed he was approaching peak form during Australia's semi-final win against New Zealand on Wednesday and quickly began talking about the England series.

"I think [Michael Vaughan] targeted me last time, and I knocked him over four or five times," he said in The Australian. "So I'm happy with that." Ponting agreed with McGrath's feelings when he said: "Let them go for it, that's all I'm going to say."

McGrath was criticised in the lead-up to the semi-final but said it did not affect him and that he still had room for improvement before the opening Test on November 23. "To me, it's all about how I feel I'm going," he told the paper. "And if I'm happy with the way I'm progressing then that's all that matters. I've got a little way to go."

He said he has "put a little piece of the puzzle back together" in each game he has played since returning from a long lay-off to be with his sick wife. "It's feeling pretty good at the moment, and I was happy with [the semi-final]," he said. "There were a few little errors I can still improve, but it's looking pretty good. If I keep doing that, there's a few more games until the Ashes and I shouldn't be too far off 100%."