Cricket: England looking to their pace attack

LONDON - England are confident they finally have the firepower to claim 20 Australian wickets a test in the Ashes series.

They enter tonight's first test at Lord's with new-found inner belief forged from five successive series victories and confidence enhanced by strong showings over Australia last month.

A major difference from most recent Ashes series is the strike power of the bowling at captain Michael Vaughan's disposal.

Pacemen Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, seamer Simon Jones and swing bowler Matthew Hoggard have combined to help England dismiss opposition teams twice in 11 of England's past 14 matches.

England cannot afford to let Australia continually pass 400 in the first innings, like they have in eight of the past 10 Ashes tests, if they are to threaten this series.

"We have some really talented bowlers who have proven over the last few years that they can cause problems to the opposition batsmen," Vaughan said.

"I'm sure they will put the Australian batsmen under considerable pressure.

"It's a big challenge to play the world's No 1 team, but we're No 2 and we deserve to be there."

Harmison, Hoggard and Jones played the 2002-03 series opener at the Gabba, but were fodder for Australia's batsmen, who set the tone for a 4-1 series win.

The group collectively lacks the experience of their rivals, but could be a handful on helpful wickets.

Harmison and Flintoff are England's obvious weapons, but Hoggard's ability to hoop the ball away from right-handers makes him equally important.

The no-frills Yorkshireman has taken 42 wickets from his past seven matches, including hauls of five for 144 and seven for 61 in the fourth test victory over South Africa in Johannesburg in January.

Hoggard is one Englishman who believes Australia have lost their aura.

"They're not such a dominant force as they were and some of their key players are getting a little bit older and are not as potent as they were."

Meanwhile, Jason Gillespie's sore knee could be the decisive factor which earns Michael Kasprowicz a place in the Australian side.

The two quick bowlers have been almost impossible to separate in their battle for the third seamer's role behind Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee.

"He's been carrying a little bit of stiffness around in his knees for the last couple of weeks," captain Ricky Ponting said of Gillespie.

Australia's team will not be known until just before the match, and despite Ponting's reluctance to confirm Lee's selection, the blond speedster is certain to play his first test in almost 19 months after showing brilliant lead-up form.

"What Brett does is that he brings a lot to our team as far as that hostility and firepower goes, so it's an important role for him if he happens to play," Ponting said.

"It's nice to know that we have got someone there that can run in and bowl those really hostile spells if needed, which is exactly what they'll do with their attack."

So irresistible are Lee's claims he might even take the new ball first, and prolong McGrath's bid for his 500th test wicket, because of his recent knack of early successes.

Lee has taken a wicket in his first over in seven of his past 28 matches for his country, and six of those victims were left-handers.

That's a statistic that bodes well against England's left-handed openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss.

"He can swing the ball back in early on and do it at very good pace and catch the batsmen before they have got their feet moving," Ponting said.

Australia will seek a ninth successive series win starting with eight members who won the fifth test at the Oval in 2001, nine if Gillespie plays instead of Kasprowicz.

By contrast, five of England's side have never played Australia in a test.

- AAP