Waugh predicts tough Ashes defence as Australia fly out

Australia's cricketers flew out of Sydney on Saturday to defend the Ashes, predicting they would triumph over England in a hard-fought, five-match test series.

Australian captain Steve Waugh said he expected the in-form English to provide stiff competition for his side but he was still optimistic of winning.

"It's going to be a good contest and I believe we can win," Waugh told reporters at Sydney's international airport.

"We've got the side, we've got the talent and we've got the experience.

"England are going to be very tough, they play good cricket and we can't expect to cruise through the series. If we're not on our best behaviour on the field, so to speak, we're going to get beaten."

Australia are ranked number one in the world after setting a world record sequence of 16 test wins before their defeat by loss to India this year.

They will remain number one regardless of the outcome of the Ashes series and will keep the newly-introduced world championship trophy which they will receive before the first Ashes test in Birmingham.

Waugh said he considered England to be ranked about third or fourth at the moment but said they were entitled to some bragging rights if they toppled the Aussies.

"If they beat us, they'll probably think they're Number one or Number two in the world," Waugh said.

"It's hard to put a rating on anyone but they're playing as good cricket as anyone, they've won a lot of test matches and they're on the verge of winning five series in a row, which is a significant achievement."

The 17 members of the Australian one-day squad left on Saturday for the triangular limited-overs series with Pakistan and England.

Most of the squad will stay on for the five tests while a handful of players chosen only for the tests will join them in England next month.

The squad is planning a two-day stopover in the Gallipoli peninsula in southern Turkey, where thousands of Australian soldiers were killed during an ill-fated campaign during World War One.

The tour begins with a warm-up match against Worcestershire on June 1 ahead of the triangular one-day series.

The five-match Ashes series begins in Birmingham on July 5 with the final test at the Oval from August 23.

Mail Cricket Editor