Australia have the better attack, says former seamer
Former paceman Dennis Lillee believes Australia's superior bowling attack gives them the edge heading into the upcoming Ashes series.
Lillee took 355 wickets in 70 Tests from 1971-84, forming a lethal partnership with Jeff Thomson to destroy England in the 1974-75 series in Australia.
And, despite the loss of key personnel in recent years, he still expects the home side to regain the Ashes urn by a narrow margin this winter.
"In the end it's got to be (about) your attack - you've got to bowl sides out twice," he told Sky Sports Radio.
"If I look at both attacks I think Australia - even without (Shane) Warne and (Glenn) McGrath - have a better attack than England.
"(England's) spinning attack - they may use spin twins (Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar) - may be better than ours because Nathan (Hauritz) is still evolving, but overall our attack is better and that's where games are won."
Strain
Pressed for a prediction on the Ashes outcome, Lillee declared: "It's going to be much closer than the other ones (recent Ashes series in Australia).
"But we should probably win it 2-1 or 3-2."
Meanwhile, Brett Lee is adamant the arrival of the Ashes series won't leave him regretting his decision to stand down from Test cricket.
The 33-year-old called a halt to his Test career earlier this year, lessening the workload on his body so he could concentrate on making it back into Australia's one-day and Twenty20 sides.
"There is still a lot of cricket left in me and the reason I stood down from Test cricket was to prolong my career in the shorter forms of the game," he told Sportal.
"If I chose to continue with Test cricket the odds were, with the strain on the body, the cards weren't going to fall my way.
"That's why I drew a line in the sand.
"I loved every single moment of my Test career but I haven't missed it one little bit. I'm more than content with what I've achieved."