145;England stronger than they look146;

Warne said he was not underestimating England, even though since the Ashes defeat Australia have swept aside all comers in the Test arena, while England has displayed indifferent form.

8220;The Ashes always brings out the best in both teams, no matter how poor one of the sides are playing,8221; he told reporters.

8220;At the moment, England aren8217;t playing as good as they would like but at the end of the day it8217;s all about how they play during this series. They8217;ve got some match-winners there and I8217;m sure they8217;ll be looking to entertain and play well.8221;

Warne said England campaigners from the last series such as batsman Kevin Pietersen and captain Andrew Flintoff now had more experience, with the latter well rested after an injury-enforced layoff.

Test cricket8217;s leading wicket-taker was also impressed with England8217;s Ashes debutants, spinner Monty Panesar and wicketkeeper Chris Read.

8220;The two key areas in Australia are the wicket-keeping department and the spin bowling department,8221; said Warne, who hopes to become the first bowler to claim 700 wickets during the upcoming series.

8220;I think everyone realises that Chris Read is the best keeper in England and Monty Panesar is a match-winning spinner, he8217;s shown this summer that he8217;s an attacking spinner who can win you games.8221;

Warne said England8217;s selectors had to weigh Panesar8217;s attacking prowess with the added protection his main rival for the spinner8217;s spot, Ashley Giles, could offer the batting line up.

8220;I suppose a big concern for them is their tail,8221; he said. 8220;If they play Panesar, then they8217;ve got Matthew Hoggard, Steve Harmison and a few of their other players down there, they could have a very long tail .. Ashley Giles can hold a bat.8221;

Unlike previous Ashes series, Warne has not attempted to develop a mystery ball for the upcoming clash, saying success would be a matter of hard graft and meticulous application of an armoury now familiar to his opponents. 8220;There8217;s no mysteries, they know what they expect from me and what I bowl. We know how they8217;re going to bat, they know how I8217;m going to bowl, it8217;s a matter of execution and who does the best on the day,8221; he said.

While respectful of his opponents, Warne was pleased with Australia8217;s form.

8220;Since we lost the Ashes in England we8217;ve played some exceptional cricket, we8217;ve won 11 out of 12 Tests 8212; the one-day side has been playing exceptional 8212; everyone has a little bit of form,8221; he said.