The second Ashes series of the year gets under way in Brisbane on Thursday with England going for a fourth straight win over Australia.
No fear
England captain Alastair
Cook has set his sights on ending Australia's impressive record at the Gabba. Australia have not lost at the Brisbane ground for 25 years - while England last tasted victory there in 1986. However Cook insists that the current squad will go into the series opener with no fear as they look to inflict a psychological blow on their hosts. "There's no reason to feel intimidated," said Cook. "A lot of players in the squad we have this year were here in 2010-11 so we've all got experience of winning in Australia and we're trying to use that to the best of our ability."
100 not out
Kevin Pietersen will become the 10th England player to earn a century of Test caps in the series opener at The 'Gabba. The Natal-born 33-year-old started with an Ashes-clinching century in his first Test series back in 2005 and has since been through many highs and lows.
Pietersen faced the media - with whom his relationship has steadily deteriorated over the years - on Tuesday and laughed off suggestions he is arrogant: "I call it confidence". Pietersen has scored 7,887 runs in his 99 Tests and is closing on the England record, held by batting coach Graham Gooch, who
would like to see his mark surpassed.
It's good to talk
For a side without a win in their last nine Tests, Australia's squad has not been short on bravado in the build-up. For reasons that were unclear, captain
Michael Clarke attempted to channel his inner-Jose Mourinho by naming England's starting XI, coach
Darren Lehmann hopes the crowd abuses Stuart Broad so that he "cries and goes home", while the recalled
Mitchell Johnson has promised to rough up England's top order. "If I can get a few of those rearing balls towards the ribs or those throat balls, and if he gets in the way of it, that's his own fault," he said. "...If you can't get them out, that's the second option." On Thursday, the talking stops and the action begins.
The expert view
Our Ashes Panel of Mike Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Sir Ian Botham, David Gower and Bob Willis got together to discuss their
expectations and predictions for the series. There are mixed views on several subjects, not least the merits of George Bailey and Mitchell Johnson, but a unanimous verdict when it comes to picking a winner; all five are backing England to make it four in a row. You can also listen to our experts in our
all-new Ashes podcast, including Nasser's view on what to do if you win the toss in Brisbane...
Stay up or catch up
You can follow the action from Australia this winter in
more ways than ever. Every ball will be screened live on Sky Sports 2 but you can also watch wherever you are on your mobile, laptop and selected tablet devices via
Sky Go. The
Sky Sports Ashes Events Centre - which is available on both PC and iPad - allows you to get a totally different take on each day's play, offering live scorecards, match stats and player profiles - plus you can build your own analysis just like the commentators with Hawkeye, wagon wheels and more! If you can't stay up all night then there are plenty of ways to catch up. Simply press the red button on your TV to see highlights throughout the day or you can log on for highlights on skysports.com and on the Sky Sports iPad app. Wake up to The Ashes Breakfast every morning for extensive reaction to the night's action and our Verdict at Night show will provide in-depth analysis and discussion before The Ashes Extra - Live brings you all the build-up to the start of play.
Venue guide
This is Australia's fortress; it is 25 years since Viv Richards' West Indies became the last touring side to win a Test at The 'Gabba. The pitch is among the
quickest in the world and offers something for everyone. The humid, tropical climate in Brisbane means the ball swings more than anywhere else in Australia, while the extra bounce on offer can benefit spinners (Shane Warne enjoyed plenty of success over the years). The 'Gabba is a multi-purpose stadium that regularly hosts cricket, Aussie Rules and both codes of rugby - and even used to have a greyhound track before a redevelopment. England have won four times in 19 visits, most recently in 1986.
Weather forecast
The weather has been unsettled during the week with heavy rain on Monday disrupting preparations. But the sun was out on Tuesday allowing players to train outside in temperatures that rose above 30 degrees Celsius. The opening day of the series on Thursday is expected to be dry - there is an 18 per cent chance of rain - but not quite as hot with temperatures topping out at 27 degrees. The chance of rain and, in particular, thunderstorms increases as the Test wears on, although temperatures are also predicted to rise over the course of the contest and there should be plenty of time for a positive result.
Last time
The
corresponding fixture three years ago ended in an eventful draw. England won the toss, chose to bat and promptly lost skipper Andrew Strauss for a duck to the third ball of the series. Later on the opening day, birthday boy Peter Siddle claimed a hat-trick, dismissing Cook, Prior and Broad as England were all out for 260. Australia were reduced to 143-5 in reply on day two before centuries from Mike Hussey (195) and Brad Haddin (136) got them up to 481 and a first-innings lead of 221. Staring yet another Brisbane defeat in the face, England's top order came to the rescue with Strauss (110), Cook (235no) and Trott (135no) batting for almost two full days against an increasingly demoralised bowling attack before the declaration came on 517-1. There was not enough time left for Australia to chase a target of 297 and they finished on 107-1 - but the tone of the series had been set.
