Aussies ready for new-look England

Australia say they're ready and waiting to take a new-look England head on in the Ashes starting from July 8 at Cardiff.

The tourists have settled in to life in England, last night attending the Australian High Commission in London where captain Michael Clarke had some fun introducing his playing squad for the upcoming series (see video above, and full version below).

England meanwhile, have vowed to play a more exciting brand of cricket following a disappointing showing at the World Cup, where they were bundled out before reaching the knockout stages.

A drawn series in the West Indies followed their shambolic World Cup and led to the sacking of coach Peter Moores and ultimately the signing of Australian Trevor Bayliss, who takes the reins later this week.

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England are confidently pointing to their improved form against New Zealand, which has included an entertaining drawn Test series and a victorious high-scoring one-day series, as proof they've turned the corner.

Australia are inclined to agree, and they're ready to fight fire with fire.

"We're expecting a really tough series against a team that will come out quite hard against us and if they decided to try to play that positive brand we'll be prepared for that," Australia skipper Michael Clarke said.

"The most important thing is you've got a team with plenty of players in form and plenty of cricket under their belt, playing in conditions they're very accustomed to, against a team that's really excited to be back in England and looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead."

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Batsman Shaun Marsh said England's changed mindset had been noted among the Australians, who have always advocated playing Test cricket in a positive fashion.

"I think it's really important to get out there and show your aggression and put your stamp on the game. That's the Australian way," Marsh said.

"We've seen the English come out and play some really positive cricket the past couple of months and it's going to be a really good brand of cricket from both teams.

"They're in great form. The one-day series and Test series against New Zealand has been good."

No-one will get you closer to the Australian team's Ashes tour than cricket.com.au. We will stream matches live into Australia on all devices, including the Cricket Australia Live app – available on iTunes and Google Play – and will have a comprehensive news and video team on the ground at every match. You won't miss a thing!