04 August 2004	Wednesday	17 Jamadi-us-Saani 1425

BIRMINGHAM, Aug 3: England may have been soundly beaten in the last eight Ashes series but hopes are growing that Australia will at least be given a run for their money when they tour England next year.

England's second Test 266-run thrashing of West Indies at Edgbaston was their eighth victory in nine Tests this year following 3-0 wins against West Indies (away) and New Zealand (home) plus an equally crushing 210-run win against Brian Lara's men in the first Test at Lord's.

They now have an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the current four-Test series and, following last year's win against South Africa at The Oval, are aiming for eight successive home victories - something that last happened way back in 1959-60.

But the team itself is desperate not to get carried away by talk of "bring on the Aussies". Success against Australia still remains the standard by which many England fans judge their team even when, unlike currently, the men in baggy green caps are not the best side in the world.

England's recent victories have come against perhaps the weakest West Indies teams in living memory making it hard to gauge just how effective they will be against Australia. -AFP