England captain Andrew Flintoff has dismissed concerns that the Australian squad is past its best.
England's Ashes squad arrived in Sydney on Sunday to begin preparations for one of the most highly-anticipated Ashes series in recent memory.
The youthful England side will come up against an Australian line-up that is sure to feature many players in their 30s and several over 35.
But having set the standard for many years in international Test cricket, Flintoff is confident the Australians will still provide formidable opposition, particularly on home soil.
"Australia have performed well over a number of years so I don't think age is really a concern," he said.
"They've played and beaten more or less all the sides in the world over a number of years so that's going to be hard to compete with."
"We are a young side, and we're looking forward to the challenge of playing against Australia."
"To defend the Ashes we're going to have to put Australia under some pressure out on the field."
Only four members of England's 16-man party played during their 2002-03 Ashes tour so the tourists have little experience of playing in Australia.
But Flintoff is confident his team is up to the challenge as it seeks to retain the famous urn it reclaimed last year after an 18-year wait.
"It is a young side but every challenge that's been thrown in front of them so far they've responded well to, and I expect this series to be no different," he said.
"It's a young, exciting side that's looking to impress and looking to perform."
England will stay in Sydney before travelling to Canberra to open the tour with a one-day game against a Prime Minister's XI on Friday.
They then have three-day games against New South Wales and South Australia before the first Test gets under way in Brisbane on November 23.
"The one thing we want to do is start the tour well and get off on the right foot, but all the other things are out of our control," added Flintoff.
"We've got to concentrate on how we play and what we do, and if we play well we can defend the Ashes."
