Hayden dismisses England's hopes

If we are playing our best cricket then the result will go our way Matthew Hayden

Opening batsman Matthew Hayden says England will have no chance of winning the Ashes if Australia hit top form.

Many consider England to have a good chance of success in the five-match series after Australia showed signs of weakness in the recent one-day matches.

"I don't really care whether England are closer to us or not - I believe that it's all about us," said Hayden.

"I don't mean to be arrogant, but if we're executing our skills there's not a side that can get close to us."

With the start of the first Test on Thursday, Hayden said the prospect of playing against the old enemy should fire up Australia, who have not lost an Ashes series since the 1986-87 defeat.

"Looking back, we've achieved some incredible things together, and looking forward it's all about trying to get the most out of each other now," he added.

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"We've played a lot of Test match cricket together so it's really important we keep focussing in on that, and if we are playing our best cricket then the result will go our way, and if it doesn't go our way, we've been out-played.

"I believe we're vulnerable if we're not thinking about that, but I know this side is super excited about what is going to happen on Thursday."