England walked away from Lord's without a trophy on Saturday, though they won something almost as highly prized -- an admission of respect from the world champions.
It would normally be near-impossible to extract such niceties from the mouth of Glenn McGrath. The Australian fast bowler is more likely to predict 5-0 Ashes whitewashes and to talk of England batsmen he intends to target than offer words of encouragement.
However, he conceded after Saturday's dramatic tie in the side's triangular series one-day final -- the scene-setter for three more one-dayers and the Ashes series -- that Michael Vaughan's side had something special about them.
"Obviously they are playing with a lot more confidence, there is no doubt about that," McGrath told a news conference. "They are, I guess, more match aware. Confidence for me is a huge thing when it comes to international cricket."
Steve Harmison, in particular, came in for praise. Before the tour, the Australians had talked of trying to undermine England's strike bowler, in the same way that the South Africans did at the turn of the year. They questioned the length he bowled and his ability to cope with pressure.
McGrath, however, said: "I think Harmy is a class bowler. He is one of the main reasons why England have improved over the last 18 months and why they have been so successful.
"To have a bowler bowling at that pace and bounce, it has got to give the rest of the team confidence."
AUSTRALIA CONFIDENT
Harmison was the top wicket-taker in the triangular series with 15 at 15.73 runs apiece.
Australia, though, remain confident. They have won a record eight Ashes series in a row since 1986-87 and, before their arrival in England, they had won 14 of the last 15 one-dayers between the two teams. England went through 2004 unbeaten in Tests to climb to second in the world rankings but their one-day side was far less commanding.
The two teams each won a group game in their head-to-heads before Saturday's encounter, when Australia were dismissed for 196 before their hosts battled back from 33 for five and stole two runs off the final ball to end on 196 for nine. The other group meeting between them was well-balanced before it was washed out.
"It's probably a pretty fair reflection on the series overall," Australia captain Ricky Ponting said. "I'm disappointed we did not win the final but it has been a terrific series. That is probably one of the best games of one-day cricket you will ever see. It's certainly one of the best I have ever played in.
"I'm not surprised. I think we all knew, coming here, that England would have a little extra edge about them in this series.
"When you have won as many games as they have in the last couple of years, that tends to be an influence on the team and you get more confidence. I'm not surprised at all."
VAUGHAN DELIGHT
Vaughan will be delighted by the respect his side are earning from Australia. The England captain, one of the team's few successes in the last Ashes series in 2002-03, has been determined to surround himself with players unperturbed by the reputation and aura of the world champions for the upcoming series.
Until recently, England might have been expected to fold after losing their top order within 10 overs. On Saturday, however, Geraint Jones (71) and Paul Collingwood (53) kept the game alive with a backs-to-the-wall, 116-run partnership for the sixth wicket before the tense final overs.
McGrath, however, could not resist playing on the minds of England's opening batsmen ahead of the next one-day clash at Headingley on Thursday.
"If you look at the three matches, our opening bowlers have been pretty successful against Strauss and Trescothick," he said.
He has a point. Andrew Strauss scored 332 runs during the triangular series against Bangladesh, averaging 166, but only a total of 46, average 11.5, against Australia. Trescothick averaged 114 against Bangladesh but only 11 against McGrath and company.
"To me, Trescothick is a key player, especially in their one-day team. If he bats through the innings they can post a pretty good score or can chase a good score," said McGrath. "I think that is one positive we will take out of the series, that our bowlers have had success against their opening batsmen. It could be a big key to the series."
