'The Ashes has to be close this time'

If anything England have become more Australian than the Australians. For years the feature of the set-up there, was that, compared with England, Australia's selection policy was more stable, less prone to chop and change and their team was younger and more vibrant. Yet since January 2007 England have used only 30 players and five of those have played a solitary Test. There were Darren Pattinson and Amjad Khan (both highly unlikely to be selected again), Michael Carberry and James Tredwell (they might get another game) and Amjad Shahzad (almost certain to add to the cap he won at Manchester last June). So in effect England have relied on only 25 players in almost four years, which suggests a rare stability. In the Ashes summer of 1989 alone England picked 29 different players.

He has the opportunity to earn himself a place in the pantheon of the great English captains. If Strauss led England to a series victory this winter, after 20 barren years of tours to Australia, it would be a feat that would be cherished alongside the Ashes win in 2005. Now, just as in that summer, the English appetite for success is especially sharp because there have been so many painful and fruitless years. And 15 days after the one-day team play their final fixture in Australia, they play their first match in the 2011 World Cup.