England's cricketers will attempt to lighten the mood of their nation's sporting public when they begin their five-match series against Australia at the Rose Bowl tomorrow. The recent successes of Andrew Strauss's side contrast starkly with their compatriots at the football World Cup. As such, the atmosphere around their squad seems rather more cheery than in Camp Capello, if the latest tweets of the cricket team's resident joker, Graeme Swann, are anything to go by. "A pretty uninspiring 90 minutes that," Swann wrote on his Twitter page, after England's 0-0 draw with Algeria in South Africa. "I sometimes wonder why I bought this Desperate Housewives box-set." England are in a unique position ahead of this limited-over series. For the first time, they are both the holders of the Ashes, as well as the world champions in a limited-overs format. Whisper it, but they may even be the favourites to win out against their oldest enemy. However, given the surfeit of trophies available in international cricket, the Australians are not without a few titles of their own. They also hold the title of world champions - in the 50 over format - in addition to winning the mini-World Cup, the Champions Trophy, in South Africa last year. If tournament wins are the gauge, this series pits the two leading sides in the game against each other. However, that might be a superficial assessment. Even Andy Flower, the England team director, would probably still deem his side a work in progress - although they appear to be much closer their destination than in the past. Australia, too, are a team in transition. They even struggled to beat the minnows from Ireland in their last tune-up match prior to facing England. "We pride ourselves in our depth of squad and the attitude we show when we play for Australia," Ricky Ponting, the captain, said. "When we are faced with a bit of adversity, the guys normally put their hands up and leap to a new level. "I dare the players to surprise us with performances. The attitude around the team is to stretch yourself and do something special when it is needed." pradley@thenational.ae