Hussey wary of improving England

Mike Hussey is expecting a much more competitive Ashes series than the last

Mike Hussey believes Australia are in for a “huge challenge” when they tackle a revitalised England in the battle for the npower Ashes this summer.

And the 31-year-old batsman is anticipating the contest will be a lot closer than the last meeting in 2006/07 when Australia won 5-0 on home soil.

Hussey was speaking as Australia flew into Birmingham to prepare for the World Twenty20 ahead of the Test series with Andrew Strauss’ side, which starts in July.

The former Durham player has been impressed with the way England have added depth to their squad despite the continued absence of Andrew Flintoff, who has now been ruled out of the Twenty20 event.

But Hussey also feels Australia have the right blend of experience and flourishing youth, as demonstrated by opening batsman Phil Hughes.

Hussey said: “Will it be closer than 5-0 this time? I hope not but I think it will be a very close series and very challenging for both teams.

“England have added a lot of depth to their squad over the last couple of years and they have got guys playing confident cricket and that is a big plus for them.

“There have been a lot of new players coming into the England set up who have been doing quite well and showing they are good enough to play at international level. That bodes well for England.

“We have been very impressed. We know they have got a good team, particularly in English conditions. A lot of their guys have improved so I think we are in for a huge challenge this summer

“But we have got an excellent squad as well, one with a lot of confidence out of winning the Test series in South Africa.

“We have a mixture of young fresh faces like Phil Hughes, who is so exciting, with a lot of talent, and has done well in his initial time as this level.

Hussey does not think Phil Hughes' stint with Middlesex will prove that significant

“We have some good experienced players as well. Hopefully that blend will help us but I think what really matters isn’t whether you are young or old but doing the business out in the middle is all that counts.”

Hughes has just enjoyed a successful stint with Middlesex but Hussey believes playing county cricket does not give much advantage to his team-mates ahead of the Ashes.

He added: “I don’t think it really matters. It is nice to have some experience of playing in the conditions but we have prepared very well.

“We will get into the nets and try to acclimatise to the conditions as quickly as you can.

“At the end of the day, you can play all the games you want but, when you are in the heat of the battle of the first Ashes Test, I don’t think anything can really prepare you for that.”

Hussey insists Australia will be fully focused on trying to win the World Twenty20 before the Test series.

He said: “We are really looking forward to the Twenty20 World Cup and I think we have got a good chance. We haven’t thought too much about the Ashes yet because we want to worry about the Twenty20.

“I’d be lying if I said the Ashes weren’t at the back of our minds but we’ve got a different squad really for the Twenty20 so we are 100% focused on that at the moment.

“The Twenty20 World Cup is the trophy we haven’t got. Whenever there is a World Cup on the line, we are always up to win it.

“There are some very dangerous teams out there, some good Twenty20 players. The thing about the format is anything can happen on any given day and one player can take the game away.

“We are going to have to play very well but we have a good chance. We have a very good squad, we cover a lot of bases and we have a lot of match winners.

“Hopefully we can put on a brand of cricket that is enjoyable for the public and really try to excel.”