ECB planning Ashes victory parade

Rugby fans packed Trafalgar Square to celebrate England's win

The England cricket team are set for an open-top bus tour around the streets of London if they regain the Ashes.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has provisionally booked Trafalgar Square for next Tuesday.

A win or a draw in the fifth Test which starts at The Oval on Thursday would seal a historic success for England.

But vice-captain Marcus Trescothick warned: "Great things lie ahead if we win but we don't want to get drawn into it because we'll lose our focus."

Thousands gathered in London to welcome home England's Rugby World Cup-winning side 18 months ago.

England's victory parade

On that occasion, the parade started at Marble Arch and travelled along Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square.

If a parade is held next week, it is likely to follow a similar route, giving people a chance to celebrate what would be England's first Ashes win in 18 years.

Although the event would cause traffic chaos in the capital, Ashes fever has gripped the nation this summer and a huge crowd would be expected.

I'm sure the Aussies would love to stuff them up and make sure they don't have a parade on Tuesday! Geoff Lawson

Trafalgar Square was the venue for a victory parade for the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic teams and was packed for the announcement of the hosts of the 2012 Olympics in July.

It also hosted a party last week to celebrate London's 2012 Olympic win after a homecoming party was cancelled following the London bombings.

Former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson does not believe that administrators have tempted fate by making arrangements before the series has been decided.

"You've got to plan ahead," he told BBC Sport. "You can't just do it on the spur of the moment, I think it's more a logistics problem than a 'we've already won the Ashes' problem.

"With x thousand people turning up you can't do it with 12 hours notice, I think the authorities are entitled to look ahead, they are 2-1 up in the series.

"I'm sure the Aussies would love to stuff them up and make sure they don't have a parade on Tuesday! Might give them a little prod.

Studies carried out by Australian sports psychologist Professor Craig Mahoney, of the University of Wolverhampton, conclude that England have had the better body language, but Lawson has little regard for them and thinks the Australian team will feel similarly.

"The psychological edge is represented by the scoreline at the moment. England are in front and Australia have to win the last Test but there is still plenty to play for," he said.

"They will be highly motivated, they have their reputations to play for besides the Ashes, a few haven't had the most gracious of series there will be a lot of personal pride at stake as well as team pride."

The absence of Simon Jones could be a significant factor, Lawson feels.

"I think it's a loss, he's been a go-to man for Michael Vaughan and they will miss him, he's been the best fast bowler of the series, when you take a player out who is in form they opposition must benefit," he said.

The BBC summariser added that England would be likely to choose Paul Collingwood ahead of James Anderson. "They'll bring in Collingwood otherwise Tremlett would have been left in the squad, slightly on the defensive and go with a batsman who bowls a bit."

Ashes ups and downs: The rollercoaster series