The captains

Andrew Strauss
Ricky Ponting promised his side will target Strauss but the England skipper is mentally strong and that won't bother him at all. He will know that it has long been a tactic of Australia's to try to undermine certain players - they did it to Mike Atherton - and that such trashing-talk is meaningless. During a game, you have to target every player who walks to the crease. Strauss is in good form in Test cricket and has the full support of the dressing room. He is the right man to be leading England. Rating: 8/10

Ricky Ponting
Ponting will begin this series under some pressure. After his side lost the Test series to South Africa and were eliminated from the World Twenty20 at the group stage, he might find that defeat by England could cost him the captaincy. He remains one of the best batsmen around and in that regard alone will have an important role to play in the series but tactically he could find it harder than in the last Ashes without the support of Shane Warne, whose intelligence and confidence Australia will miss. 9/10

The young pretenders

Alastair Cook
Cook is intelligent, experienced for his age and has gained confidence of late. However, until the series against West Indies he was still failing to score as many hundreds as he should and was being dismissed too frequently in the 30s and 40s. Having been talked about as a future England captain, he will need to score well in this series to justify that status. 8/10

Phillip Hughes
Only 20, Hughes has yet to perfect a polished technique but he showed against Australia and for Middlesex that he has the determination and ability to churn out hundreds. That people now expect him to score big, though, will bring with it an unfamiliar pressure. How he fares against James Anderson in swinging conditions will be an important factor. 7/10

The middle men

Kevin Pietersen
An unbelievable player. Pietersen can score all around the wicket, performs better in the big stage and proved four years ago that he has the temperament to win Ashes Tests. If he is on form, the Aussies will find it hard to bowl England out. 10/10

Michael Clarke
A good, young player with a lot of experience but he has not been at his best over the past twelve months. He missed the IPL but still failed to score well in the World Twenty20 and has nothing like Pietersen's charisma or match-winning ability. 8/10

The all-rounders

Andrew Flintoff
If Freddie recovers from injury and finds his best form, I think England will shade the series. If not, Australia have to be favourites. Not only does he contribute with bat and ball but his personality lifts the confidence of those around him. 9/10

Mitchell Johnson
We tried to sign Johnson in my final season at Essex. He bowls at 90mph, finds variation and, being left-handed, troubles right-handed batsmen. Recently, he has started scoring runs too and hits the ball very hard. An exciting player. 9/10

The strike bowlers

James Anderson
Anderson has developed into a very good bowler over the past twelve months and will go into the Ashes in the best form of his career. He can swing deliveries both ways and has a dangerous slower ball. His form will also be crucial to England's chances. 9/10

Brett Lee
Some have wondered if Australia should have picked Lee because of his recent injury problems and because he has struggled to do well in England. That was unfair. When he's fit, he bowls very, very fast and can knock the tail clean out. 8/10

Totals
England: 44/50
Australia: 41/50

Darren Gough is representing the Mars Balls Get Britain Playing - a 200,000-ball giveaway. For more details, see www.marsballsgetbritainplaying.com