Who has the edge in the Ashes?

By Saj Chowdhury

The 2005 Ashes series has so far provided more drama than a Christmas double helping of Eastenders.

So what awaits us at Trent Bridge, where the fourth Test starts next week?

BBC Sport continues to look in depth at the issues facing both teams and the matches to come, to assess who might come out on top.

HOW TO WIN MIND GAMES

For followers of both sides, predicting the outcome of the series with any degree of certainty is an impossible task.

WHO HAS THE ASHES EDGE? Wednesday: What have we learnt so far? Thursday: What can the teams do to improve? Friday: How to win mind games Saturday: What lies ahead?

After the first Test, many thought Australia would cruise it, after the second it was advantage England, and the third Test highlighted Australia's resilience and England's new found aggression.

Fans have endured a rollercoaster of emotions, while the two sides involved are probably nearing the point of mental exhaustion.

Next Thursday, the saga continues. So between now and then what will need to be said and done to pick the players up again?

Sports psychologist Dr David Lewis, who has worked with athletes such as Dame Tanni Grey Thomspon and John Regis, said England face the tougher task of getting fired up.

"I think they'll be bitterly disappointed after having victory snatched away from them," Dr Lewis told BBC Sport.

"When a team starts to get negative feelings it can spread fast and can affect every individual who is part of the party. The English media will add to their woes and their comments could also have an undesired effect.

"There is no doubting that these last two contests, which have been on a knife-edge, will have taken a lot out of the players.

"But for Australia, fighting back from a losing position to draw the last Test will have given them the mental advantage."

It is widely known that the England cricket team do use sports psycholgists to help with motivation. But surely the only motivation England and Australia need is thought of beating the opposition?

For Australia, fighting back from losing position to draw the last Test will have given them the mental advantage Dr David Lewis

"Up to a point, yes. But imagine an upside-down 'u' on a graph where you have 'performance' up the vertical axis and 'anxiety' on the horizontal axis.

"As there is more anxiety in the individual, performance improves, but if you become too anxious then performance declines.

"For England and Australia, it's important that they have a sports psychologist to help each individual find that balance, because this contest has raised passions to a very high level.

"I do think though that England are perhaps the more anxious team, because of their eagerness to amend what went wrong for them in the last Test and end what has been a long run of series defeats."

"If England come away victorious, then they must win the battle of minds and focus on the positives that have come out for them in the series so far."

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On Saturday, the final part of our in-depth look at the Ashes balance of power looks at what history can teach us about Ashes encounters at Trent Bridge and The Oval - the venues for the last two Tests.