New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum expects England to retain the Ashes, saying “they are going to be a tough team to beat”.
England begin their defence of the Ashes against arch-rivals Australia in the first of a five-Test series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 10.
And McCullum is well-placed to assess their standing, having led New Zealand in five Tests, home and away, against Alastair Cook’s men this year.
In New Zealand, England had to cling on desperately at the end to square the three-match series 0-0.
But it was a different story in the return series, with England winning a two-Test series 2-0 following a crushing 247-run win in the final Test at Headingley in May.
“I think England are going to be a tough team to beat,” said McCullum fafter a washed-out second Twenty20 international at The Oval on Thursday saw New Zealand end their tour with a 1-0 win in a two-match series following a five-run success at the same ground on Tuesday.
“They seem to have got their swagger back against us in that final Test match,” McCullum said.
“What we saw in that Test match is a team that when they are firing they are an incredibly tough team, not just to beat but to compete against,” he said.