Panesar gets Gatting backing

Monty Panesar won the nation's affections during this summer's Test series © Getty Images

Former England captain Mike Gatting claims Australia are worried about facing Monty Panesar.

Panesar has made a startling impression on the international stage since making his England debut in March and claiming Sachin Tendulkar as his first Test wicket.

Much has been made of the abuse he is expected to receive from the notoriously partisan Australian crowds when the Ashes start in Brisbane on November 23.

But Gatting insists comments from certain Australian players are an attempt at masking their admiration for Panesar.

"I think he is a fine bowler and I think they are worried about his bowling," said Gatting, the last England skipper to win an Ashes series down under.

"Monty has done extremely well, not just here but against India in India. That is a huge feather in his cap.

"Monty has come in and got wickets on a regular basis, bowled against the best in the world and got them out."

Mike Gatting was the last man to captain England to an Ashes win in Australia, in 1986-87

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Gatting's England retained the Ashes with a 2-1 series win in 1986-87, and he has seen chinks in Australia's armoury that make him confident the current side can repeat the feat.

Former Australia Test all-rounder Greg Ritchie claimed captain Ricky Ponting "doesn't know what's going on" when out in the field and that Australia would win the Ashes if Shane Warne was captain.

Warne recently criticised the methods used by Australia coach John Buchanan, which brought a stinging rebuke from ex-skipper Kim Hughes, who said: "He [Warne] would have been an embarrassment if he had captained our country.

"From an English point of view, he has given them a real free-kick for this Ashes series."

Gatting tends to agree. "They seem to have a lot of in-fighting at the moment, which is interesting," he said at the launch of the MCC's Ashes exhibition, in association with Travelex.

"I don't think they know quite who their fourth bowler is going to be.

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"They have always had the Jason Gillespies, the Michael Kasprowicz's - people who can come in and join Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne.

"Now they are talking about Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken - they are in a quandary a little bit. Do they play five bowlers? Do they play four?

"For the first time they really haven't got a settled side.

"A lot of their best players are two years older but our guys are two years wiser and still learning and that is very important.

"I think our side is more settled, providing it is injury-free, with Matthew Hoggard, Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Panesar.

"The platform is good for our side. We played well against Pakistan and we beat Australia here last time.

"I think we will go over there in a very good frame of mind."

The Ashes exhibition will take the famous urn on a three-month tour of Australia.

The urn visited Australia in 1988 for the bi-centennial Test but this time it will be displayed in six cities across the country.