Langer feels Ashes will be a great contest

Melbourne: Opener Justin Langer has confirmed what most of his compatriots have been dreading, Australia looking over their shoulders at England.

For a decade, Australia have been more concerned about stronger competition from South Africa, the West Indies or India than that posed by England.

The Australians have held the Ashes ? the prize at stake in the regular Test series between cricket?s oldest rivals ? since 1989, but are bracing for a more competitive series in England next year.

?This time there will be a lot of pressure,? Langer said. ?There?s always pressure with the Ashes as both countries have got big egos and they want to win the Ashes. So it will be a great contest.?

England have moved into second place behind Australia in the rankings with eight consecutive Test wins.

Prior to the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Durban, opener Andrew Strauss had figured in each of England?s eight Test wins.

Langer has played alongside Strauss for Middlesex in the English county championship for three seasons and the pair keep in touch via e-mail.

?It makes me nervous when they?ve got guys like him in the side,? Langer said on Thursday. ?He?s got that hunger to make runs.

?He?s a very good player. He has a very strong character.?

South Africa-born Strauss, 27, made his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord?s in may and scored 971 runs in his first 18 innings. He was the first batsman to score hundreds on Test debut against three different nations.

Strauss joined an England team that has been growing in confidence behind skipper Michael Vaughan, allrounder Andrew Flintoff and fast bowler Stephen Harmison.

The Australian team, ranked No. 1 in Test and one-dayers, is not short on confidence.

Australia won a record five series in 2004 ? with 10 Test wins, one loss and three draws in 14 matches ? and Langer topped the international runscoring list with 1,481 in Tests.

He narrowly missed an Australian record for most runs in a calendar year in the nine-wicket win over Pakistan in Melbourne on Wednesday, ending the year with scores of 191, 97, 50 and 5 in four innings against Pakistan.