Andrew Gale believes England go into next week’s Ashes series in possession of what Australia used to have.

“I don’t think there’s that belief there with the Aussies any more,” said the Yorkshire captain, currently in Brisbane with the ECB Performance Programme squad.

“You always sensed that arrogance and belief that someone would do a job for them, whether it be Shane Warne or right down to someone like Simon Katich. Someone would stand up and return that match-winning performance.

“But, at the moment, I can’t see where it’s coming from. England have got that at the minute.

“It’s taken them a long time to get there, but Andy Flower has done a great job creating that.

“I know it’s always difficult going to places like India (where they lost 2-0 in October) – but the way the Aussies are going at the moment, they’re definitely not the side they used to be.

“I’ve told Brezzy (Tim Bresnan) that they’re there for the taking.”

Unlike Yorkshire team-mates Adam Lyth, Jonny Bairstow and Ajmal Shahzad – all three have been picked up in the Performance Programme squad – Gale has been Down Under before when an Ashes series has been on.

He explained: “The under-19s took an England side out when the Ashes were on in 2002/3, and I watched a couple of days of a Test and a one-dayer. It was a fantastic atmosphere.

“I’m expecting something similar again, and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of excitement in and around our squad.”

An injury nightmare in the full squad could present Gale, who captained the England Lions earlier this year in the UAE, with a Test debut during the next seven weeks.

The man himself would no doubt accept that is a long shot, but a full England debut will surely not be too far away for the left-handed batsman, who turns 27 a week tomorrow.

The precedent has been set by the likes of Craig Kieswetter and Michael Lumb, who were with the Lions in the Emirates and then won the World Twenty20 just three months later.

Gale added: “That’s inspiring for me as a player because, going on tour this winter, three or four of the lads who went on the Performance Programme squad last winter either played for England throughout the winter or summer. You’re not that far away.

“I know that it’s just a training camp in Australia, but I’ve got to give it my all because people can start talking about me as a possible replacement.

“Who knows? There’s probably a few ahead of me in the pecking order at the moment if there was an injury to go down, but professional sport can change very fast.”

The Performance Programme squad play the first of two four-day matches on tour against a Queensland XI in Brisbane starting on Thursday.

They will also play a Western Australia XI in Perth between December 7 and 10 before returning to the UK on December 16.