The Northern Echo's premier cricket writer Tim Wellock gives his verdict on The Ashes - and believes the battle between England's bowlers and Australia's top seven is the key.

WHILE it might be good headline material to say that Steve Harmison holds the key to the Ashes, the reality is that England need to play outstandingly well as a unit. If they do, they can win.

With youth on their side, Harmison, Hoggard, Jones and Flintoff might just give England the edge in the pace department. But they'll need it because the biggest difference between the sides is in the proven excellence of Australia's top seven batsmen.

Considering that Ian Bell is a rookie at this level, England have taken a huge gamble on Kevin Pietersen and if they lose early wickets the whole house could come down. That won't happen with Australia.

The fact that one of their own, Chris Rogers, scored a double century against them for Leicestershire on Sunday, underlines the point about the strength of their batting while also hinting that the bowling is vulnerable.

Glenn McGrath needs one wicket to join the exclusive 500 Club in Test cricket, while Shane Warne needs 17 to be the first to 600. But both are past their best and the signs so far on this tour are that Jason Gillespie has lost pace, so much will depend on Brett Lee.

At the outset of the series, the only English players who could be guaranteed to strengthen the Australian side are Harmison, for Gillespie, and Andrew Flintoff.

The big Lancastrian who would get in at No 6 in place of either Michael Clarke or Simon Katich because the Aussies' weakness is that their lack of a genuine all-rounder leaves them a bowler short if things are not going well.

They even called on Mike Hussey to bowl a few overs in the one-day internationals, although he has yet to turn his arm over for Durham.

Having only four bowlers will not be a problem for the Aussies if they continue to expose Marcus Trescothick's technical weakness just outside off stump, and do the same to Pietersen and Flintoff.

That will leave a lot of pressure on Michael Vaughan, who relishes an Ashes challenge, Andrew Strauss and Bell.

There is no doubting Bell's ability, but the fact that he faces such as massive test of his temperament heaps further ridicule on his absence from last winter's touring party to South Africa.

If any individual holds the key for England it's Flintoff, as the one genuine all-rounder in the series.

The danger is that he'll have to bowl too much because England will always want him and Harmison to come back and attack the destructive Adam Gilchrist.

The wicketkeeper has a habit of coming in at 250-plus for five and flogging tired bowlers to the extent that the game rapidly disappears beyond opponents' reach.

Even Ian Botham rarely performed with both bat and ball in the same Ashes match, so it would be unwise to expect too much of Flintoff in his first series against the Australians.

But the likelihood is that he's going to have make some runs unless Pietersen delights everyone, not least the selectors, by showing he can transfer his one-day talent to the wholly different arena of Test cricket.

At least he has shown he can rise to an occasion and there are few bigger Tests than an Ashes battle at Lord's, which always brings the best out of the visitors.

Australia have lost one of their last 26 Tests at Lord's and if they win this one England will have to win three of the remaining four games because the Aussies will surely win again somewhere.

It is not good for the game to have the series shoe-horned into the latter half of the season, finishing as late as September 12, when morning dew can prove decisive. Nor is it good for England that there is no Test at Headingley.

But as England are now the second best team in the world huge interest surrounds their attempt to topple the team who have been the best for ten years. A win at Lord's would ensure that the excitement is maintained even when the Ashes has to compete with football.