Vaughan tipped for reprise

The last time England met Australia in an Ashes series, Michael Vaughan came of age as an international cricketer, smashing a massive 633 runs in five Tests including three magnificent centuries. And with the old enemy in town again this summer, bet365 make England captain Vaughan a strong favourite to finish as the home side's top scorer once again.

His average of 63 in that series and his total of 633 runs put him 251 runs ahead of the next highest England runscorer, the then captain Nasser Hussain. And though his average may have dipped of late, bet365 make him an 11/4 (3.75) favourite to come out on top again.

The worry for Vaughan backers would be the effect that taking over the captaincy has had on his batting. Since assuming the role, his average has fallen from 50 to 45, with his average as captain just 38. He is however a world-class batsman and there is something about Australia that seems to bring the best out of him.

Andrew Strauss is second favourite at 7/2 (4.50), while fellow opener Marcus Trescothick is 4/1 (5.00) and Graham Thorpe is 5/1 (6.00). Andy Flintoff and Ian Bell are both 11/2 (6.50), while Kevin Pietersen, who is still battling for a Test place, is 15/2 (8.50).

Strauss has enjoyed a superb start to his Test career, averaging 55 in his 14 Tests to date, including five centuries and five 50s. Strauss-backers must take a leap of faith, though, as he has never played against an attack like Australia's and how he deals with McGrath, Gillespie and Warne remains to be seen.

Trescothick has experience against Australia on his side, but in that time his average is just 29. His overall average of 45 is much better and in his last 20 Tests, it rises to 49. The Aussies have already been talking about his vulnerability outside off-stump and his mental strength will be called into question from the first ball of the series.

The interesting one here is Thorpe. The left-hander will be 36 during the series, but his abilities remain seemingly undinted. Having reached his 100th Test against Bangladesh this month, Thorpe averages an excellent 44.66 over his career, while crucially it rises to 55 in his past 20 Tests, a period that has coincided with one of the best runs of form in England's history. Thorpe averages 45 against Australia, and top-scored in the 1997 series against them.

Flintoff averages just 32 overall, but that's on the rise and is 45 over his past 20 Tests, while Bell has just three Tests under his belt and is still an unknown quantity as far as Australia are concerned.

Bowling markets
It's a much tighter affair at the top of the bowling markets, with Steve Harmison just awarded favouritism ahead of Matthew Hoggard and Flintoff. The Durham paceman is 11/8 (2.37), while Hoggard is 2/1 (3.00) and Flintoff 3/1 (4.00). Simon Jones is 6/1 (7/1), while Ashley Giles, struggling with a hip injury, is 9/1 (10.00).

Though Flintoff did not play, Harmison and Hoggard will not have too many happy memories of the last tour to Australia, when they were both well below par. Harmison struggled with his run-up and took just nine wickets while Hoggard found the conditions completely unsuitable to his swing bowling and was carted all over Australia.

Things have changed since then though and the two are much improved. Harmison has taken 121 wickets at 27.95, but that average falls to 26.02 at home, where has taken 71 of his victims. He has played a major part in the improvement in the England attack, and Australia will no doubt try to get on top of him early on to knock his confidence.

Hoggard, too, is a changed man, but his discipline will be severely tested by Australia. He only managed six wickets in three Tests on the last tour, at 62, while his overall average of four wickets per game at 29 is nothing to write home about. However, the trends are good. In his past 20 Tests, his average falls to 27, while in his past 10, it's even better at just under 23.

How Flintoff performs with the ball will play a large part in whether England can win the Ashes for the first time since 1986/1987. The all-rounder is a growing force as a bowler, who will give everything - if his body holds up he could go well. After a slow start to his Test bowling career, Flintoff has taken 72 of his 119 wickets in his past 20 Tests, at a superb average of 24.

Those considering backing Simon Jones are hindered by the fact that he generally bowls as first change so does not get full use of the new ball, but if Australia's batsmen are as dominant as in the past then he'll have a big role to play. After a series of injury problems, Jones has enjoyed a strong run in the side and claims he is now back to his best. His skiddy action and ability to get extra bounce could prove vital and he will be used in short bursts. Though he has only taken 41 wickets in his 14 Tests, he is a dangerous bowler and could do some damage.

Ashley Giles is also a much-improved bowler and is hard to assess at this stage given his hip injury problems. One other thing to bear in mind is that in the past four Ashes series, no England bowler has taken 25 wickets or more. Andy Caddick, with 24 in 1997, tops the list, with Darren Gough next after his 21-wicket haul in 1998/1999.