Australia Michael Clarke (c) Brad Haddin (wk) George Bailey, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson
England Alastair Cook (c) James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk) Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk) Boyd Rankin, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Ben Stokes, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott
ASHES foes England and Australia recommence their rivalry late tonight as the first Test of a five-match series begins at the Gabba in Brisbane.
It is only 85 days since the two teams finished the last Ashes series with a draw at the Oval which gave England a comfortable 3-0 win, their biggest over the Aussies since 1978-79.
However, both boards agreed back in 2011 to restructure the competition so that, from now on, the demands of the Ashes series in Australia are kept in separate years to the six-week Cricket World Cup, which is next held Down Under in 2015.
But, rather than a much larger gap between 2013 and, for example, a 2015-16 campaign in Australia, the boards also agreed to squeeze in the first back-to-back contests since the 1970s.
Additionally, the next England home series has been brought forward from 2017 to 2015 to prevent a lengthy gap between meetings.
It all means that, by the time that the English summer of 2015 is finished, England will have faced Australia in 15 Tests over three series in just slightly more than two years.
And, despite fears of "Ashes overkill", the timing actually looks to have worked pretty well for England who have emerged as the dominant force between the two teams.
The current urn-holders have indeed won four of the last five contests, a streak which includes a brilliant 3-1 win over Australia two years ago.
That campaign featured three crushing innings victories at Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney - though no one should expect it to be so easy this time around.
For a start, England's smooth preparation for the 2010-11 series has not exactly been replicated this time.
The fitness of wicket keeper Matt Prior following a calf tear has remained in doubt right up until the last minute while it is also unclear who, out of Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin, will fill the tourists' third seamer spot.
None of them really impressed in the three warm-up games, a frustrating set of matches blighted by poor weather.
At least, the likely identity of England's opener alongside Alastair Cook became clearer with Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry hitting 153 in the draw with Australia A.
Joe Root will drop back down the order to bat at six, though there is hope that he can thrive there given that he will be protected from the new ball.
Meanwhile, Australia's own preparations have hardly been ideal either with their bowling attack suffering a spate of injuries, ruling out Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird.
Ryan Harris will be fit, though, after concerns over his hamstring, and he will be joined by the mercurial Mitchell Johnson whose inconsistency has already become written in Ashes folklore.
Skipper Michael Clarke has also had injury worries but bounced back from a six-week layoff with a stylish 88 for New South Wales against Tasmania.
His Test record as captain, though, makes for less welcome reading - so far, it is played six, won none, drawn two, lost four.
Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that Australia will field a much more settled side this time, and Clarke will be expecting his men can take advantage of that with a quick start in Brisbane.
After all, it is at a ground which England have found difficult over the years and, though he would be foolish to admit it, captain Cook would probably settle for a draw.
Next comes Adelaide where England wiped away their horror show on the final day in 2006 with that stunning victory three years ago.
And, of course, the key to this game is likely to be determined by whether either side has carried any momentum from the opener.
For the third Test, Cook's men travel west to the Waca in Perth, the scene of England's only defeat in the 2010-11 series, a heavy one, and a ground at which they have only won once ever.
Then, it is back to the east coast for the final two matches, in Melbourne and Sydney, where the tourists have had rather more success over the years, winning 20 and 22 times respectively.
Remember, as holders, England need only draw the series to retain the Ashes - and, even against an improved Aussie side, it would disappointing if they were unable to grind out a 2-2.
Coverage of the first Test begins at 11pm tonight on SkySports 2 with an hour-long highlights programme at 10am tomorrow, before being repeated at midday, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.
The Verdict show, with former England captain Bob Willis, is at 9pm tomorrow and, due to its time-slot, will feature a preview of the coming day's play as well as a review of the previous day.
Alternatively, radio listeners can tune into the always-reliable Test Match Special on Radio 4 LW and Radio 5 Live Sports Extra from 11.30pm tonight. The whole commentary is then repeated the following day from 11am.
THE ASHES 2013/14
| 31 Oct-2 Nov | England 391 drew with Western Australia 451-5dec & 168-5 | Perth |
| 6-9 Nov | England 430-7dec drew with Australia A 119-3 | Hobart |
| 13-16 Nov | England 418 & 151-3 beat Australia Invitational XI 304 & 261 by seven wickets | Sydney |
| 21-25 Nov | FIRST TEST | Brisbane |
| 29-30 Nov | Tour match v Chairman's XI | Alice Springs |
| 5-9 Dec | SECOND TEST | Adelaide |
| 13-17 Dec | THIRD TEST | Perth |
| 26-30 Dec | FOURTH TEST | Melbourne |
| 3-7 Jan | FIFTH TEST | Sydney |
- Five ODI matches on 12 Jan (Melbourne), 17 Jan (Brisbane), 19 Jan (Sydney), 24 Jan (Perth), 26 Jan (Adelaide)
- Three T20 matches on 29 Jan (Hobart), 31 Jan (Melbourne), 2 Feb (Sydney)
21st CENTURY ASHES SERIES
| 2001 | (H) | Australia won 4-1 |
| 2002-03 | (A) | Australia won 4-1 |
| 2005 | (H) | England won 2-1 |
| 2006-07 | (A) | Australia won 5-0 |
| 2009 | (H) | England won 2-1 |
| 2010-11 | (A) | England won 3-1 |
| 2013 | (H) | England won 3-0 |
OVERALL RECORD
| TESTS | All-time | In Australia |
| Played | 315 | 157 |
| England | 103 | 56 |
| Australia | 123 | 77 |
| Drawn | 89 | 24 |
| SERIES | All-time | In Australia |
| Played | 67 | 33 |
| England | 31 | 14 |
| Australia | 31 | 17 |
| Draw | 5 | 2 |
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