Many commentators rate Ricky Ponting's Aussies the best cricket team of all time -- even England captain Michael Vaughan concedes Australia's greatness -- but there's a certain respect that perhaps England might just give them a run for their money.

In 306 Tests between cricket's two traditional great rivals, Australia has won 125 to England's 95, with 86 drawn.

But such is Australia's dominance that since regaining the Ashes on the 1989 tour of England, the Aussies have won 28 of the 43 Tests with England claiming seven.

The Australian team Friday wound up a week's training camp in Brisbane, and Ponting is enthused about the challenges ahead in the July-September Test series.

"There's been a really exciting feeling around the group having been away from each other for a while and having not played cricket for seven weeks, and everyone's really fresh and keen and raring to go," Ponting said.

Ponting said a resurgent England would ensure a close Ashes contest this northern summer.

"We've said that about the Ashes before and it hasn't been," Ponting told reporters.

"But I think this England side have a different feel to them."

"If you watch the way they play and how they've gone about their cricket, they have a bit of a winning habit and winning culture which they haven't had for a while."

England have been making progress during the past 12 months, winning four straight Test series as well as setting a new national record of eight successive wins.

Australia have most of the biggest names in contemporary Test cricket: Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Jason Gillespie and Justin Langer.

Four of the batsmen -- Ponting (56.50), Gilchrist (55.65), Hayden (53.46) and Martyn (51.25) -- average above 50 per innings and the top three in the batting order, Hayden (20), Langer (21) and Ponting (22), have a combined total of 63 Test match hundreds.

Australia possess two of the greatest all-time bowlers with leg-spinner Warne the record holder with 583 wickets in 123 Tests and paceman McGrath fourth all-time with 499 wickets in 109 Tests.

McGrath's wife Jane, children and his parents are all planning to be at Lord's for the first Test of the series (July 21-25) when he vies to become the fourth Test bowler to 500 wickets behind Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Courtney Walsh.

"To be involved in three Ashes tours in England is something pretty special and to have the opportunity to take my 500th Test wicket at Lord's you couldn't ask anymore than that," McGrath said.

Jason Gillespie, who shares the new ball with McGrath, is no slouch either with 248 wickets in 66 Tests, while Warne's wrist-spin understudy Stuart MacGill weighs in with 160 wickets in just 33 Tests.

Gilchrist, who many claim is cricket's greatest all-rounder with 15 centuries and 287 dismissals as wicketkeeper in 68 Tests, is the danger lurking for England's bowlers, coming in at No.7.

There are three newcomers in Australia's 16-man Ashes squad with reserve batsman Brad Hodge, young fast-bowling firebrand Shaun Tait and wicketkeeper back-up Brad Haddin.

Hodge, who averaged 63.64 for Victoria last summer, has English county experience currently with Lancashire, while selectors are investing in the potential of 21-year-old tearaway Tait.

Tait has been rewarded for a competition-topping 65 wickets for South Australia in Sheffield Shield last summer, an all-time state first-class season record, at an average of 20.16.

Haddin, who led NSW to this year's Shield title with two centuries at an average of 57.25, is the back-up to Gilchrist.

Australia's opening tour game is a one-dayer against Leicestershire at Grace Road on June 11.