Australia will have to be satisfied with a draw in their first warm-up match before the Ashes begins on July 8. County club Sussex needed to reach 418 by the end of play on Saturday, but could only manage 7/373.

The Australians will continue their Ashes preparations with a four-day match in Worchester starting Saturday. There is still a lot of speculation regarding Australian selection ahead of the first Test in Cardiff next week, but Aussie coach Tim Neilsen says his team is focusing on winning their next tour match.

There are three spots up for grabs in the Australian bowling camp before the Ashes begins, and even old campaigners Brett Lee and Stuart Clark aren’t guaranteed a place in the 12-man squad. After a remarkable performance against Sussex, Peter Siddle is basically a shoe-in to pair up with Mitchell Johnson, leaving four bowlers to fight it out for the remaining two places.

Lee and Clark’s Ashes futures are up in the air pending injury and form concerns, whereas inexperience may play against Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz.

Personally, I’d like to see Hilfenhaus thrown an Ashes lifeline; while his Test bowling average (52.29) leaves a lot to be desired, he has the ability to shake up a stagnant game when given the ball.

On the other end of the scorecard, I can’t wait to see 20-year-old Phil Hughes walk onto the pitch and prove to the world that Australia does indeed have a back-catalogue of young superstars just waiting for their chance to become Internationals.

England won’t be any pushover, however. It’s been two-and-a-half years since the last Ashes tour and much has changed in the Australian camp since then. Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist, and Matt Hayden have all retired since reclaiming the Ashes in 06/07, and we’ve all seen the decline of Australia’s global cricket domination since then. Expect a much closer series than many would suggest.

BetUS has posted odds on the first Ashes Test, as well as who will claim the series.

To Win 1st Test
England: +200
Draw: +190
Australia: +135

To Win Series
England: +220
Draw: +500
Australia: -150