Fast bowler Gough, who retired from Test cricket two years ago because of a knee injury, is still a member of England's one-day squad.

And the 35-year-old quick is in line for another crack at Australia when England take on Ricky Ponting's team in Monday's Twenty20 international at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground.

But with England having lost the last eight Ashes campaigns, (their last series triumph was in 1986-87) Gough knows it is on the Tests that their season will be judged.

"As long as our players have the same mentality as theirs and are as confident, and sometimes as arrogant there's no reason why England can't do well in all forms of the game," said Gough.

"Even if you are getting smacked around, you still have got to have that belief. It only takes three balls. I had none for 60 when I took my hattrick (in the 1999 Sydney Ashes Test).

"That just shows you've always got to believe and certain players in this side still have that belief."

England administrators have been accused of helping Australia by devising a schedule which delays the start of the Test series until July 21, with all the one-day internationals -- including the triangular tournament also featuring Bangladesh which starts next week -- taking place beforehand.

But Gough, the first England bowler to take 200 one-day international wickets, said: "It makes we laugh when I hear the talk about England giving Australia practice here, practice there. It's nothing like it. Test match cricket is totally different. You've got three slips, short leg."

"In one-day cricket anybody can win, in Test match cricket you have to play well for five days. It will have no bearing on the Test series whatsoever what happens in this one-day series."

England are second behind Australia in the Test rankings and for many of their current players facing the men in baggy green caps is still a relatively new experience -- something Gough believes can work to their advantage.

"A lot of these guys have done well against other teams and now they've got the chance to do well against the best team in the world.

"If they can win this (Ashes) series they are made for life. They can be absolute heroes to us all," said Gough, who took 229 wickets at 28.39 apiece in 58 Tests.

"The players now are not too scarred. In the last few years of my (Test) career we had a lot of players who were doubting their ability before we went in there."

Now Gough, who hopes to play in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, is doing everything he can to prolong his career.

That includes regular visits -- the last was on Monday -- to the Munich base of German sports science specialist Hans Muller-Wolfhart where among the treatments Gough undergoes is 'autocleaning' of his white blood cells.

"I'm going pretty strong. I still work hard but I'm lucky enough I've got a natural talent to bowl," said Gough who now plays county cricket for Essex.

"I enjoy it. When I have a bad day and I don't have a wicket in a four day game I go home and think 'how could I have done better?' It still hurts. The day it doesn't hurt is the day I'll not play."

And he insisted that even though the opposition were Australia, he would not have any regrets when England took the field for the first Test at Lord's.

"It's their test. Let's see how good they are. I'll let somebody else have a go now."