With just 50 days remaining before the start of the first Ashes Test, England captain Andrew Strauss should have an excellent idea of the XI that will go toe to toe with Australia at the Swalec Stadium on 8 July.

The ruthless way in which Strauss's team dismantled West Indies to regain the Wisden Trophy should end any debate about whether former skipper Michael Vaughan or fast bowler Steve Harmison can return to the team, at least until the Ashes are under way.

Between now and that opening day in Cardiff, England will play competitive internationals only in 50-over and Twenty20 cricket, yet the same is true of the Aussies, who announce their touring party tomorrow.

Ricky Ponting's side have not played Test cricket since their 2-1 series win in South Africa ended on 22 March and their warm-up for the showdown in south Wales comprises two four-day matches against Sussex and England Lions.

With the exception of Andrew Flintoff, who must come back into the side in place of Tim Bresnan if he has recovered from the torn meniscus in his right knee, Strauss would be wise to stick with the same players who put West Indies to the sword.

Strauss, coach Andy Flower and national selector Geoff Miller chose to show faith in Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions for the two Tests against the Windies and both men responded superbly to the challenge.

Bopara's innings of 143 at Lord's and 108 during the match at Chester-le-Street - which England won by an innings and 83 runs yesterday - earned him the man-of-the-series award, while Onions followed up his match figures of seven for 102 at St John's Wood with three for 96 at the Riverside, his home ground. West Indies were a shell of a side during the two matches. Their lackadaisical attitude was typified by their captain Chris Gayle's decision to turn up only 48 hours before the start of the First Test and his subsequent remarks that he would not miss five-day cricket were it to die out.

Yet none of this is the fault of Bopara or Onions. The pair have shown they possess the temperament to handle Test cricket and they should be told immediately that they will start against Ponting's team at Cardiff.

One of the strengths of England's 2005 Ashes-winning captain was the development of a settled team during the previous two years.

While this England side have been together for far less time, there appears to be a unity and sense of brotherhood within the squad. This is particularly heartening after one of the most fractious periods in the recent history of English cricket, which saw Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores sacked as captain and coach respectively in January after the tour of India.

Such a spirit is rarely established so rapidly and Strauss was quick to recognise the bond that joins the players.The Middlesex batsman said: "The players are committed to playing for England. There are no hang-ups and no ego problems, or anything like that. That's really encouraging and shows that our priorities are right as a side.

"The talent is there, it will always be there, and we're in a pretty good place at the moment. The new guys have come in and settled really well.

"There is a nice spirit, people are enjoying each other's success and we're a pretty close-knit group. That always happens when you're winning, so hopefully we can make sure that by the time we meet up again, we are reminded of how close we are now.

"When times get tough, we need to get even closer. We don't think we're the complete article, by any means, and there are definitely areas which we need to improve dramatically if we want to be the best team in the world.

"When we step out in Cardiff, this will mean nothing but it's nice for us to remember what it's like to win Test matches, which we hadn't done since beating South Africa last August.

"We need to realise that the Ashes will be a very stern test and we need to earn the right to win it. There is a real hunger to improve among the players."

In 2005, England showed their ability to match Australia before the Tests had even begun. They thrashed the tourists by 100 runs in a one-off Twenty20 fixture, before a series of seven one-day matches, of which England won two and Australia three.

With the seven one-day internationals this summer taking place after the Tests, neither side will have the chance to establish the upper hand before the battle for the urn begins.

Yet England cannot afford to take their foot off the pedal in the three one-day internationals against West Indies, nor in the World Twenty20 in June. Because when it comes to identifying weaknesses and exploiting them in the most clinical fashion, there is no better team in world cricket than Australia.