Legend of Lord’s

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Th

ey might just have the team to do it. Captain Michael Vaughan has not just an airtight batting technique but also a strong temperament, two qualities that could prevent Australia from executing its much-hyped decapitation tactic (breaking the spirit of the opposition captain in the expectation that his team will go down with him). Late-blooming opening batsman Andrew Strauss scored centuries on debut against the first three countries he played against and has been compared to the best batsmen of the last 10 years by the former South African quick Allan Donald. Fast bowler Stephen Harmison has struggled away from home but in England has been menacing; his speed could punch holes in Australia's top order. Andrew Flintoff has roused memories of England's last great allrounder, Ian Botham. Kevin Pietersen hasn't played a Test yet and may be overlooked for Lord's, but there are few more promising batsmen in the world. "If I were England," says Australia's coach, John Buchanan, "I'd be looking forward to the series with great confidence."

With the exception of Vaughan, however, these players have achieved little or nothing against Australia. "They will have a few doubts in the back of their minds about whether they can compete against the best side in the world," Ponting says. A key for Australia has been that their players exude confidence. The occasional losses in recent years have never been caused by a lack of it, though perhaps one or two by the opposite. "We play aggressively. We plan well and we execute," says McGrath. "I think we have a mental edge over a lot of teams. Whereas we'll be looking to win every Test, you've heard remarks from English players along the lines of, 'We're just hoping to compete.' To me, they're negative responses."

Considering his age and workload - he's bowled more than 4,000 overs in 109 Tests - McGrath would be past his best, wouldn't he? Maybe. Maybe not. He looks stronger than he did 10 years ago (and because of the way he wears his hair these days, younger and cooler, too). Besides mucking about in the backyard, he played no cricket until he was 15, a circumstance he regards now as the making of him: his immature spine wasn't subjected to the strains of fast bowling and no coach tampered with his simple action. Held together by a routine that includes swimming, stretching and weights, he wants to bowl into his late 30s, emulating Walsh and the great Kiwi speedster Richard Hadlee. "The body's never felt better," he says. "And I think I'm still improving. I bowled a spell in New Zealand earlier in the year, and when I went back through it there was only one ball I felt I could have bowled better."

He concedes he may have lost a little pace over the years, though with no discernible consequence. He remains a fast though not express bowler who hardly swings the ball. Some underestimate the pressure that can be imposed on batsmen by a 200-cm perfectionist with a flair for strategy, the accuracy of a bowling machine and a nose for the kill. "For me, when I try to bowl too quickly, I lose that bounce off the deck," he says. "Talking to the best batsmen around the world, they'd rather face a skiddy bowler sending them down at 160km/h than a guy who's getting bounce at 130."

Like McGrath, the Australian team's powers seem undiminished. While the bowlers are getting on, it was only a few months ago that a despairing New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said of the Australian pace attack of McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz: "It's like facing three Richard Hadlees." And then Shane Warne comes on. The world's fastest bowler, Brett Lee, can't get a game.

McGrath's almost certain that this, his third Ashes tour, will be his last: "Four years down the track, if I'm still playing cricket, maybe you need to come and hit me over the head with a shovel." One senses he'll enjoy tinkling the ivories in his retirement a little bit more if, over the next few months, he smells the blood and tinkles the bails of a few more Englishmen.

With reporting by Rory Callinan/Brisbane