“The McGrath-Warne axis is the greatest bowling partnership of all time and although still formidable, there are signs of decline there too. England will feel that if they can get through McGrath’s new-ball spell and the occasional wonderful spell from Warne there will be runs to be had elsewhere. Stuart MacGill is likely to play at least a couple of Tests and while he is an excellent leg-spinner, he does bowl the odd bad delivery. England definitely have the batsmen to score heavily on good pitches.”

For England to be successful, Hussain says that Steve Harmison has to achieve his potential as one of the best bowlers in world cricket, rather than settle for mediocrity: “On his day Steve Harmison can be the best bowler in the world. He has exactly what it takes to be successful in Australia: height, pace and bounce. And the Australians fear him. But what I would want from him is consistency.

“The issue for Steve is about not settling for mediocrity: he has got to strive to be the best. He has to perform not in one Test in five but in three or four in five. After he took 11 wickets at Old Trafford this summer I would have wanted him to work doubly hard, to make even more sacrifices so that he became not just the best in England, but the best in the world. I don’t know if he has been making those sacrifices. Steve is a rhythm bowler – he has to go to the nets and bowl for an hour every day of his life. Every day. “