Where are the weak links in a batting line up that includes Jaques, Hussey, Ponting and Clarke... with Hodge, Voges, Rogers, White and others fighting over the remaining spots and Haddin at 7? What's the big deal with being reliant on MacGill as a spinner? Or reliant on Stuart Clark and Brett Lee as the spearhead of the attack (especially with a prospect as bright as Mitchell Johnson lined up for the third spot)?

Having bedded Hussey and Clarke into the top order and Clark into the attack.... Australia have pretty well cracked their "transition" problems in time for losing Langer, Hayden, Martyn and McGrath... and with Haddin and MacGill more than respectable as replacements for Gilchrist and Warne... I see no reason why Australia shouldn't start the 2009 Ashes as favourites.

England have issues of their own: this series has seen Hoggard as the solitary specialist bowler capable of cutting it at the highest level... and if Flintoff is as shot as I suspect he is (being a bowler who just cannot shoulder the workload any more) then England had better start praying that they can successfully fast-track one or two from amongst Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Tom Smith and maybe dearest "I make Mahmood look the model of control" Onions!

Which of these contains the greater number of concerns?

Strauss, Cook, Vaughan, Pietersen, Bell, Joyce, Adil Rashid, Read / Foster / Davies, Hoggard, Panesar + 2 seamers

Jacques, Hussey, Ponting, Clark, Haddin, Lee, Johnson, Clark, MacGill + 2 specialist batsmen

I'd currently rate England's concerns as greater!