England must end mood swings

Geoffrey Boycott, writing in the The Daily Telegraph, feels England's batsmen need to rise to the occasion, with the team's bowling options limited by an injury-prone Ryan Sidebottom and the lack of a quality spinner, to entertain any hopes of beating a struggling Australia.

For England to beat Australia, Flintoff has to stay fit, he is the iconic figure, and Harmison needs lots of bowling between now and the Ashes so he can bowl straight and on a length. He has the ammunition but needs plenty of overs so he can train it in the right direction.

And finally we have to improve the inconsistency of the batting. The players have to remember it isn't how many shots you play, or how quickly you make runs, or how long you spend at the wicket. It is how many runs you make. That is the key.