Pounce on the new order, and Nasser will have a glimmer

Down under can be a challenging environment, as England's Ashes explorers since Mike Gatting have discovered. Nasser Hussain hopes to change this run of misfortune with a bit of biff, maintaining that his fast bowlers have the toughness and the finesse to carry the day against an Australian batting line-up that is now occasionally getting the shudders.

If the Ashes contest were a world title fight, those at ringside would credit Hussain with a "range-finder". And fair enough, "psych" has been an important part of any head-to-head since David sucked in Goliath.

Trouble is, Australians recall that in 1995, when Mike Atherton's coach, another Fletcher, Keith, forecast much the same, saying he had several "Thommos" (Jeff Thomsons) in his line-up, some of the evidence he produced was Martin McCague.

Already luck might have dealt Hussain a bad hand. Sunburned Australia is in severe drought. In Waugh country, New South Wales, it has been the driest October for 144 years. Naturally nobody is still around to talk us through that earlier torment, but there are any number of bushies prepared to offer as comparison the scorched, soul-destroying late Twenties, when the sun bleached the bones of dead livestock and when dust storms turned cricketers' whites brown.

So, chances are this Ashes series might see few grassy Test pitches and lush outfields. Brisbane's Gabba, venue for the First Test, has hosted one Pura Cup match (the tastelessly sponsored version of the Sheffield Shield) this summer, and Queensland's 500-plus runs beat New South Wales's 400-plus runs over four days.

It is true that torrential rain around Brisbane last weekend ruined an international motor race called the Indy 500, turning it into a waterslide-cum-wrecking ball, but it only lasted half that day. A false hope for Hussain, because the next day not a drop of rain was recorded anywhere on the Australian mainland.

Of course, this is not proof that conditions in Brisbane will not suit England's fast men. Australia have some very good fast bowlers too, and it's possible the curator and even the Cricket Board would have been less than happy with the unattractive fare the benign Pura Cup pitch inspired.

Why not prepare a spicier pitch? Hussain has set the pace, why not accept his challenge and let Caddick, Jones, McGrath, Gillespie et al stirringly entertain what is tipped to be one of the best attendances at a Gabba Test for many a summer? Put that interest down to the stunning success of the local boy, Matthew Hayden.

The Sydney Test, the last, is a virtual sell-out too. That's the Waugh factor. In hometown Sydney the dropping of Mark polarised opinion: 1. Good timing. 2. A disgrace! Should have been allowed to play through the series then farewell himself at Sydney Cricket Ground.

Some think Steve's Test career will shut down in the Sydney Test. That's surely up to Hussain's fast men and, if they choose a cool-headed mix of aggressive short stuff at middle stump and outswing about off they could do some psychological damage, if not scoreboard damage. Steve is a confidence player, but he's at the stage of his career when footwork stutters and doubts can multiply fairly rapidly.

Mark stayed too long, or was allowed to. There have been clear signs that his champion's talent of "time to play" was slipping away: more dismissals via the inside edge, playing too far in front of himself, the odd catch going down.

Of course not every cricket follower hopes Steve has a wonderful Test series, but I hope he makes it his last and that he leaves Test cricket at the SCG.

The dropping of the out-of-touch Mark, and the attacking plan marketed by Hussain offer England their best hope of winning back the Ashes.

Mark Waugh's absence means a batting-order rejig, so enter Damien Martyn promoted to No 4. That's more pressure, but he is a great natural talent. And, enter Darren Lehmann at No 6. His is a Test recall late in life, so more pressure to hold it down, to prove he has been carrying the drinks too long.

In between those two, Steve Waugh, denying it but in wind-down. That means there are three players who will be edgy at the Gabba, so Australia will want success from Hayden, Langer and Ponting.

Hussain will be tempted to win the toss and field to support his theory about the fast men. Sometimes, though, dobbing in the opponent means you are not all that confident about your own batting line-up.

The underdogs England need a couple of good early Tests – draws, not even wins, will do – and then there are enough unknowns to suggest this could be a tight series.