Poms, take a look at those stats!

In the last twenty years, encounters between England and Australia on England soil show up a pattern explaining England’s record of a s...

In the last twenty years, encounters between England and Australia on England soil show up a pattern explaining England’s record of a single series triumph in the last five Ashes series at home and only 6 victories of the 29 Tests played.

With this Ashes promising to a sterner test for the Aussies to pocket the tiny trophy, here are a couple of stats England will do well to improve on.

• The average first innings score by England is 308; 99 short of Australia’s first innings score.

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• In the last twenty years, not one batting position for England averages 40 while for Australia batting positions from 2-5 average in excess of 40.

• England has used 72 players over the last five Ashes series at home while Australia have stuck with 45 to get the job done. Continuity leads to a sense of security, and optimises performances. It’s a lesson England has now learnt.

• In the batting department, Australia has 29 centuries as compared to England who have only 18. And the one man who stands out between the two sides is Steve Waugh with 7 centuries more than anyone on either side in the last twenty years.

• Batting at number six for Australia he returns an average of 101 in 17 innings. England must find their Steve Waugh this Ashes to build on the scores from the top four batsmen.

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• Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard will have to start doing what the Shane Warne-Glen McGrath combine has done for the last decade: hunt in pairs.

• Together they have 157 English wickets on English soil while Andy Caddick and Darren Gough, England best bowling pair in the last decade have managed just 77 between them. McGrath has 68 alone.

• England’s main spinner Ashley Giles would rather undertake suicide mission than try and match Warne’s aura and achievement.

His 89 wickets stand against 78 wickets taken by four of England’s most successful spinners (John Emburey, Peter Such, Phil Tufnell and Phil Edmonds).