Sky Sports - England in Australia

There's nothing sweeter than winning the Ashes in Australia.

As England prepare to try and emulate the feat of Mike Gatting's side of 1986/87, skysports.com's Ashes Panel has reconvened to assess whether this England squad has what it takes to retain the urn.

So without further ado, here is how former England captains David Gower, Sir Ian Botham, Bob Willis, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain think the series will unfold.

skysports.com: It's been a long wait but the Ashes is finally here so it's time to get your predictions. What do you think the result will be and why?

Nasser Hussain: Australia 1 England 2

I'm going to go for the same score-line as I did in 2009, when I was incredibly correct! That said, I do feel Australia are slight favourites going into the series; they are playing at home at grounds and in conditions that they are very used to against an England side that hasn't played a lot of cricket in Australia.

History tells you that it's not easy to win against Australia on their own patch - even this Australian side - but England have a swagger, a genuine confidence about them at the moment. Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior are all very confident players who back themselves to the hilt whatever the circumstance and that will stand the team as a whole in good stead. Plus this side - unlike others that have toured Australia - know what it is like to win the Ashes. Collectively, they have less mental scarring than their predecessors.

That doesn't mean they should underestimate Australia. The stats suggest they remain a very good side and up until this summer, their record at home is exceptional but they do have a number of players who are at, or reaching, their peak - guys like Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Marcus North - whereas England are a team for the future. They haven't reached their peak yet; I genuinely feel this England side could go a long, long way. Every cricketer in this England side is on the up with the possible exception of Alastair Cook.

Sir Ian Botham: Australia 1 England 3

England have got all the momentum and, as I said at the end of last summer, they will win this series by two Tests. I'm expecting that to be the case, not hoping it to be. The only proviso to that is the weather - if it intervenes we could see a drawn Test or two.

Graeme Swann is flying at the moment and, generally speaking, the England bowlers are taller and quicker than their equivalent in the Australian ranks, which means they should get more out of the pitches.

England looked good in the summer and, that ridiculous boot camp aside, most of their build-up to this series has gone to play. They are a tightly-knit, focused unit in which everyone pulls for each other and that gives them a distinct advantage going into the first Test; they know they have to hit the ground running from day one and everything suggests they are in great shape to do so.

In contrast, Australia look like a side that have got a lot of problems and I think they will be very worried at this point in time about both the form of the batsmen and bowlers. They've got most of the media on their backs too which can only count in England's favour. It's definitely England to win by two Tests for me.

David Gower: Australia 2 England 2

Like Nass, I'm also going to go for the same scoreline that I went for last year - only this time it will be enough for England to keep the Ashes! There seem to be relatively few draws these days in international cricket unless games are played on the deadest of dead pitches - and that won't be the case in Australia. Sides also tend to play more attacking cricket these days too, by and large, which can lead them to make more mistakes. The way these two sides are set up means that I can see there being results.

The Australians go into this series with rather more problems with form than England, who are shaping up rather better. Much will, of course, depend on captain Andrew Strauss at the top of the order because solid leadership and getting good starts help to set up the rest of the game. Kevin Pietersen's form will be all important too - if he plays well it will make all of the difference to England's potency. Graeme Swann's form is the key to England's plans because if he's on top of his game the selectors can play four bowlers with Paul Collingwood in support.

Australia, for their part, are wondering if they have lost it a bit. They have certainly lost confidence - or to use a word that has been popular in the last couple of years - some of their aura. They've got plenty of things to sort out. That makes it our best chance since 1986/87 to turn the tables on Australia on their own patch.

Michael Atherton: Australia 2 England 2

Very rarely does a side visit Australia and win three games but England could get close. I'll stick with 2-2 even though I'm actually feeling more confident now, having been in Australia myself for just over a week, than when I left England. In that time I've got a good feel for how confident England are and how pessimistic the Australian press and public are about their team.

England are a good side but they are not a great side by any means, which is why I can see Australia winning at least one Test. The batting looked vulnerable earlier this summer when the ball nipped around and they were 137-5 in Hobart last week as well before Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood bedded in for their big partnership.

There has been quite a lot of rain around these parts in recent weeks and people are expecting conditions to be bowler-friendly, in which case England's batsmen will have to work hard to get their runs; we've got some good batsmen, no doubt, but they have shown vulnerabilities in the last year and Australia - who are lacking confidence but are certainly not a team in turmoil - will be confident of knocking England over.

Bob Willis: Australia 2 England 2

The bat is going to be on top of the ball for most of this series so a lot depends on how each attack bears up to shouldering the burden of playing five Tests in six weeks - a heavy workload in any bowler's book. In modern cricket we tend to get close to 90 overs a day more often than not and the run-rates are usually healthy too, all of which means we are getting a lot of results. That trend should continue in Australia.

I'm very impressed with the way Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss have handled the build-up to the series and the unity they've generated within the camp; everyone seems to be singing off the same hymn-sheet which was a key feature of the side that won in 1986/87.

Moreover, Strauss has developed into a very strong leader and won't be susceptible to the mental disintegration that Australians are prone to bandy about before each series. Rather, the pressure is building up on Ricky Ponting - one of the game's best batsmen but someone whose captaincy I've never rated highly.

I think there is a good chance that the weather will intervene in this series - but only once - so I'm expecting four positive Test outcomes. Australia are my favourites to win at Brisbane and Perth, while England should have the edge at Adelaide and Sydney. That means England retain the Ashes.

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The first Test gets underway at 11pm on Wednesday November 24 on Sky Sports HD1.