England stronger than they look: Warne

Shane Warne has said England are a stronger Test side than the one that upset Australia in the Ashes series last year, despite having shown an indifferent form of late.

"The Ashes always brings out the best in both teams, no matter how poor one of the sides are playing," he said at a news conference in Sydney. "At the moment, England aren't playing as good as they would like but at the end of the day, it's all about how they play during this series. They've got some matchwinners there and I'm sure they'll be looking to entertain and play well."

Warne said star performers from the last series such as Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff would have only grown better with experience. He also sounded impressed with England's Ashes debutants Monty Panesar and Chris Read. "I think everyone realises that Chris Read is the best keeper in England and Monty Panesar has shown this summer that he's an attacking spinner who can win you games."

Even if Panesar has proved to be a matchwinner Warne said England would have to pit Panesar's attacking prowess against the added protection that Ashley Giles could offer the batting line up. "I suppose a big concern for them is their tail," he continued. "If they play Panesar, then they've got (Matthew) Hoggard, (Steve) Harmison and a few of their other players down there, they could have a very long tail ... Ashley Giles can hold a bat."

Unlike previous Ashes series, Warne has not attempted to develop a mystery ball for the upcoming clash, saying success would be a matter of hard graft and meticulous application. "There're no mysteries, they know what they expect from me and what I bowl," he said. "We know how they're going to bat, they know how I'm going to bowl, it's a matter of execution and who does the best on the day."

Respect for the opponents notwithstanding, Warne was pleased with Australia's form. "Since we lost the Ashes in England we've played some exceptional cricket, we've won 11 out of 12 Tests and the one-day side has been playing exceptional. Everyone has a little bit of form."

On his own form Warne, who has 685 Test wickets, aims to surpass the 700 mark sometime during the Ashes.

Meanwhile, Ricky Ponting also said he "couldn't be happier" with the state of his squad. He dismissed notions that the side's ageing stars could leave Australia vulnerable. "Those guys keep performing - look at Warnie, (Glenn) McGrath and (Matthew) Hayden, they're some of our best performers currently and I'm sure they'll put their hands up and get the job done here."