England seek rare Ashes win in Australia

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BRISBANE, Nov 23 (AP): Four years on from its humiliating 5-0 series defeat on its last tour of Australia, England will start the Ashes this week with genuine hopes of a series victory.
Australia's clean sweep of that series left cricket's traditional rivals seemingly further apart than ever and with England plunged into introspection and fearing its victory in the extraordinary 2005 Ashes was just a blip amid prolonged Australian dominance.
Few would have guessed then that England would enter the first test in Brisbane starting this Thursday as favorites to retain the Ashes they won at home in 2009.
The retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and other key players tipped Australian cricket into an uncertain new era while England began a steady and determined rise.