Australia, winners of the previous eight Ashes series, are 1-0 up in the present campaign after last month's crushing 239-run first Test win at Lord's.

But there is just a two-day gap scheduled between the second Test, which starts at Edgbaston on Thursday and the third Test at Old Trafford.

Before this Ashes campaign got underway England seamer Matthew Hoggard questioned whether 35-year-old duo Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, Australia's star bowlers, could stand up to the rigours of back-to-back games.

The pair took 15 wickets between them at Lord's, a match where fast bowler McGrath, who had nine in the game, joined leg-spinner Warne as one of only four bowlers in history with 500 Test wickets.

McGrath's long-time new-ball partner Jason Gillespie is the 'wrong' side of 30 as is his rival for a Test place Michael Kasprowicz, with 28-year-old speedster Brett Lee the young man of the Australians' bowling line-up.

By contrast left-arm spinner Ashley Giles is the only frontline England bowler over 30.

"These next 14 days are pretty crucial to the whole tour," Bucha-nan said.

"One of the aspects of playing back-to-back Test matches is the fitness and mental toughness of individuals in both teams.

"It's a pretty big issue. The weather will dictate that a bit. There's no doubt that a team that is fit and mentally strong will have some advantage by the end of these two games.

"Everybody will be tested if that's the case, particularly bowlers.

"But one of the strengths of our side has been we are able to and individuals are able to front up game after game. I don't see at this point in time being any different.

"If you're in a winning frame of mind, confident frame of mind or you are playing well that confidence aids your physical recovery and therefore also your mental strength.

"If England play as well as they can play, potentially I see a little bit of a rollercoaster ride.

"But if we play the way we know we can play over this period of time, and right at this moment in time there are good signs that we will, then I would expect to come out certainly in front by the end of this 14-day period."

Australia captain Ricky Ponting, during the tourists' drawn warm-up match against Worcestershire, suggested Australia would field an unchanged line-up at Edgbaston despite Gillespie going wicketless at Lord's.

But Buchanan insisted there was still a chance for Kasprowicz, who took five for 67 against Worcestershire as opposed to Gillespie's two for 45, to force his way into the team.

"Probably the main contentious position would be the fast bowling spot.

"All the bowlers acquitted themselves quite well up there (Worcester) I thought, and had some useful time so really it's up to the selectors.

"David Boon is the selector on duty and he'll talk with Ricky and myself. Hopefully by the end of the day we're a lot clearer on what we want to do."

Buchanan meanwhile refused to be drawn too deeply into commenting on the media storm surrounding Giles.

The spinner hit back at his alleged critics Monday with a bizarre newspaper column where he demanded "more respect".

"I'm not here to tell England how to cook their eggs," Bucha-nan said having seen his batsmen get after Giles, with the spinner's wicketless 11 overs at Lord's costing 56 runs and so forcing England captain Michael Vaughan to give extra work to his quicks.

"I don't know Ashley Giles and obviously there's been a lot of talk about him and from him in the lead-up to this Test match."

"We look at the way England unfold their strategy and he's one part of that. If we can deal with that strategy that gives us a good opportunity to do what we want to do and expose weaknesses within the England framework."