Amazing, that's the exact same team I thought of this very evening! However, I don't entirely agree with your comments on Warne. The best captain we never had? They said the same thing about Keith Miller. Besides, after the countless sex scandals, the drug scandals, the match fixing scandals; if you made him a proper captain, then that's just saying that you can get away with anything if you're a good enough player. I'm proud that our selectors stood up to him and said "enough is enough."

Incidentally, Hussey's far better than Bevan ever was. Bevan basically had to hoick it over midwicket to score fast- Hussey's never had to.

A good set of picks - the 10 and 11 spots are probably the most debatable, but I agree with Hoggard and McGrath in there. If our wounded were fit, I think Jones would come in for Hoggard but Trescothick and Vaughn would miss out (Warne's a good enough captain that we wouldn't need to make room for Vaughn in the batting lineup, and I wouldn't have picked Tresco in my England team).

You mentioned that it could all change by the end of the series - an interesting question is how we expect it to change. I think, of the England players who missed out, the most likely to force their way into this team are Ian Bell and Steve Harmison. For the Aussies, whoever they pick as a third fast bowler has a chance of knocking out McGrath or Hoggard.

fair enough all round, highlights difference between the two sides. Lee's record is however average at best against England. Panesar instead? Watching him and Warne in tandem would be something...

Definitely Harmison for Lee, far more potent when he gets it right, and even though Lee's slightly quicker Harmy's bounce makes him more frightening.

Can't argue with the rest

Hmm, Hayden is touch and go if you ask me ... I rate Langer higher. When they both made hundreds at the Oval Langer reached 50 when the score was 66/0. Great captaincy choice.

My only difference would be Langer for Strauss - keeping the special opening partnership with Hayden together...

LANGER NOT STRAUSS,MARTYN NOT HUSSEY,MACGILL NOT HOGGARD

Brett Lee is without doubt the single most overrated bowler in world cricket. If he gets 20 wickets at 40 again, England will definitely retain the Ashes. Harmison easily gets in ahead of him.

As for the rest, fair enough. You've gone for track record over form or future, so you're with the majority in putting the Aussies as favourites for the Ashes- the tried and tested warhorses above the tyros. Here's hoping the end of the series proves you wrong!

Here is my team, picked in accordance with which position they will bat at in this series (which means Kevin Pietersen not being available at number 4, whoopdeedoo i wouldve picked Marto anyway)

1.Andrew Strauss- I think he will step up a notch in Trescothicks absence, and just edges out Justin Langer partly because of Langer not playing much international cricket of late, hes not part of the ODI setup despite hitting the fastest domestic 50 by a WA player a week ago.

2. Matt Hayden- Obvious choice seeing as the only other choices goose is sure to be Cooked, or have its head knocked off by Brett Lee

3. Ricky Ponting (c)- A Test captaincy win ratio better than Waugh or Taylor, not to mention Border. Surely Punter would be given the captaincy role in this side, mostly full of his own players anyway

4. Damien Martyn- Cool headed, technically gifted and in great form is an automatic choice considering the other contenders are Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood

5. Mike Hussey- OK my side is stacked with Aussies but come back and look at this after the series and tell me I was being unreasonable. Hopefully he can avoid the dreaded second-season blues, or as its known in Australia, Michael Clarke Syndrome

6. Freddie Flintoff- There ya go ya whinging Poms. Freddies good though, better than Watson or Clarke. Lets see how consistently he can clear the fence Boxing Day though, these big Aussie ground will make him less formidable, combined with bowling and not to mention captaining a squad that has already had more ins and outs than Ron Jeremy.....or my number 8

7. Adam Gilchrist- I reckon hes going to erase those ghosts of 2005, and we all know he has no trouble getting the red leather up into the Great Southern Stand

8. Shane Keith Warne- God

9. Brett Lee- I hope Strauss and Cook packed a dozen helmets each, and after Edgbaston last year, Jones and Harmison better have packed 20

10. Shaun Tait- Searing in 6-12 overs of old-ball thunderbolts per innings, freeing up Flintoff and Lee to attack even more, and giving Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne time for more pressure building tactics.

Glenn McGrath- Stupid to write off a legend. I read recently the Poms done the same thing in the 1974-75 series when Dennis Lillee was coming back from a serious back injury. And look what happened.

1 Change only from an otherwise aggreable 11: McGrath out, Harmy in.!. That's right..& the reason is simple really. When you consider who else is in the team - & their pace, I reckon most batters would almost welcome a few overs watching Glann's line, rather than potentially being actually afraid of Steve's pace/bounce whammy. Oh & in case reader's react with Hoggard's head instead of McGrath's, I reckon Hoggy will have more wickets come the other side of Xmas.

My team would differ only in the bowling department. I would surely have Harmison in instead of Hoggard and also I have a feeling that the dynamic left arm pace of Johnson may be more penetrative than the medium fast accuracy that McGrath offers. Also, Johnson will create rough for Warne to exploit later on in the game......

Pathetically Biased to England,
Strauss for Langer ?
Gilchrist just edges out Jones ?
Hoggard !!!!????
Tim I realise you are English and patriotic , but you will lose credibility with such picks

Tim

Before I read your team I would have come out with something slightly different. But your logic subdues me. The only spot I change is Panesar for Hoggard. Unless you're on a greentop, in which case I'd have Harmison anyway.

I don't really have any disagreements with your selection other than perhaps Lee. I'm confused as to whether you've pick a general Ashes XI or a composite team to play in Australia given your focus on the away stats of the England team or a composite team full stop. Lee is a good bowler in Australian conditions, but overall his record is not as good as Harmison's and he doesn't have as good an Ashes record. I'd probably have the same team but with Harmison for Lee and Liam Plunkett for Warne to strengthen the batting.

I'd pick exactly the same team as the author, except Langer over Hayden and Panesar/MacGill for McGrath at Sydney/Adelaide.

Strauss
Trescothic (when ready to return)
Ponting
Pietersen
Bell
Flintoff
Hussy
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Panesar (on a spinners wicket) Hoggard (otherwise)
Magrath

pretty similar to be honest. My only change would be to try and squeeze ian bell in there. while bell's ashes were poor last time around, this time he will be the team's Vaughan.

Matt Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Glen McGrath... If I were the England captain I'd be dead set to make them announce their retirement after the series.

This is a REAL composite team:

Justin Strauss - JL's fight, Strauss's youth
Matthew Cook - Hayden's hammer with Cook's phlegm
Ricky Ponting - no improvement possible!
Ian Pietersen - Bell's technique, KP's eyes
Michael Hussey - he's Collingwood, just better
Andrew Flintoff - nothing the Aussies can lend him
Adam Read - Gilly's batting, Read's keeping
Shane Warne - he'll do
Monty Giles - Monty bowls, Ash bats & fields
Brett Hoggard - pace, swing & yeoman cliches
Glenn Harmison - pace, accuracy & a great tourist

Pieterson and Flintoff pick themselves. It was interesting to see Harmison's poor stats over the last two years, and I'm a big Hoggard fan, but if this composite team were playing in Australia I think Harmison would be more potent with the kookaburra ball on hard pitches..where as if it were being played in England...hoggards swing and guile might complement mcgrath and lee nicely. Hoggy is going to have to bowl out of his skin in this series...bowling at 80mph when its not swinging, with a scuffed soft ball...Im not saying he's not up to it, but fear he may have a few days reminiscent of 2002-hoping im wrong here!

Tough call on Langer -I'd be inclined to pick him ahead of Hayden- but as much as it pains me to say it-I think they both shave it ahead of Strauss...although I happen to think in the long run, he'll go past gower and score 9000-1000 test runs.

So only 3 englishmen for me I'm afraid- but we're greater than the sum of our parts and can still compete with the aussies this winter- I think this age factor will also play into our hands at some point..they're not just old, they're ancient.

Pretty much spot on - it'll be interesting to see how the team stacks up at the end of the Ashes.
The only thing that i disagreed with was Gilchrist only just getting the keeping spot. Honestly, an average series for Gilchrist is as good as an excellent performance from Jones. I'm not sure if Jones would get a game in many of the State sides in Oz.

I would pick pretty similar, with the proviso that Harmison would be in for Hoggard in Australia.

Apart from that, where is the logic in saying that G.Jones is only just edged out by Gilchrist? Gilchrist averages 48.80 with the bat (yes, he had a bad season last Ashes, but you watch him this year) and is about 20 000 times better with the gloves. No contest.

As for McGrath, he will come good, and I dont see any reason for any of you to doubt his abilities. Like Gilchrist, watch him this year.

Exactly right Tim - though I would pick Harmison or MacGill over Lee. Every year I pray and hope that he will begin devastating quality opposition, and every year he lets me down.

To those who are complaining about the Strauss pick, that's ridiculous. He's by far the best opener in the world, alongside Chris Gayle.

I'm worried about Hayden - rarely plays well against REAL quality bowling - and Clarke - doesn't deserve an Australian call-up for mine.

If I was English, I would be particularly worried about the batting. Besides from Pieterson and Strauss, and perhaps Bell and Flintoff on one or two occasions, I think that the English batting looks very poor. Flintoff is not a good enough no. 6 and Cook, Bell, Collingwoord will all be out of their depth.

Applause to GW for his REAL composite team. As the Greigy would say, that team's playing at 210%.

After day three at the Gabba, its all Australians surely..although Flintoff could be 12th man, as we gather he's got some good jpkes which would get the boys relaxed before they went out!!!!!!