'England's best chance to win Ashes Down Under'

Former England captain Mike Gatting is convinced that he is about to lose the mantle of England's last Ashes-winning captain in Australia.

Gatting had captained England's to its last Ashes series victory in Australia in 1986/87, and now believes that Andrew Strauss can be the next to bring home the little urn.

"Without doubt we have our best chance for a long time, but the team must perform to the peak of their ability. We've always been capable of beating the best, but now there is a lot more consistency in the side," the Sun quoted Gatting, as saying.

"England are not about a few individuals – it's a real team effort and that's made us more consistent. Three individuals can do well at certain times and you don't get anywhere."

"You need the whole team performing. In the past, perhaps some players were relying on others too much. Andy Flower understands that and now everybody pulls their weight," he added.

He further said that he was disappointed that England has not won in Australia in the past two decades.

"I thought we had a great chance four years ago but we pressed the self-destruct button and ended up losing 5-0," Gatting said.

"That was the last hurrah of the great Australian side that included Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and the rest. They've gone from being superhuman back to being a normal side," he added.

England's tour of Australia gets under way on November 5 with a warm-up game against Western Australia.

The first of the five Ashes Tests will be held at The Gabba in Brisbane from November 25 to 29.

It will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

The tour also has two Twenty20 clashes and a seven-match ODI series.