Following a knock in the nets at the Gabba this morning, Ian Bell who had earlier said the tourists were confident and ready for the ashes are anything but. With a little over 24 hours left until the first Test Ian Bell suffered a heavily bruised hand when a fast ball from Jimmy Anderson hit the England number three.

This now opens the gate for Irishman Ed Joyce to make his debut in arguably the toughest cricketing contest there is, it certainly will be a baptism of fire for the rookie. With the added loss of Marcus Trescothick last week it leaves the England upper order lacking essential experience.

Bell was taken to hospital for X-rays, which did not show any fracture, but at best he will have to face up to Brett Lee and company with a sore, tender top hand on the bounciest pitch in the country. His condition will be reassessed later today.

Think back a year and England's opening three were Strauss, Trescothick and captain Michael Vaughan; only Strauss remains and only time will tell if the experience of Strauss will be used as a babysitter for the two rookies in Cook and Joyce. The Australian team, just like a wounded tiger will smell blood. They will circle their pray and go for the kill.

"If it happens, it happens. Obviously we are still hopeful that Ian is going to play," Strauss said.

"I've played quite a lot of cricket with Ed and his greatest strength for me is his ability to keep a cool head under pressure.

Obviously if that were to happen it would be a big ask for him … but everyone in the side knows he is a quality player.

"Cooky is very similar. He was in that Ed Joyce situation and he got thrust in at the last moment (when he made a century on debut in India). We all know what a calm, cool customer he is, and this is just taking it up another level. An Ashes series is slightly different but he's got a lot of confidence to fall back on, he is averaging 54 in Test cricket, so that's not a bad position to be in going into the first Test."

At least Vaughan is with the squad, and the injured skipper will be a source of advice and reassurance in the days ahead. For even though Andrew Flintoff is captain, Vaughan exudes a calm confidence that should not go to waste. If the English were plotting to rush the master of Australian conditions into the team in Bell's place, as the conspiracists might suggest, they were not letting on.

"I think he is mainly here to keep going in his recuperation and obviously start batting and that sort of stuff, and it would stupid for us not to use his knowledge. He was an instrumental factor in us winning the Ashes last time around and he has got some very forthright views on how best to play against Australia, so we will be chatting to him in the next day or two," Strauss said.

"Australia are desperate to get their hands on those Ashes again, they've been the No. 1 team in the world, and I think, if anything, the pressure is on them to grab them off us," Strauss said. "We've got a hell of a lot of good memories from that last Ashes series to draw on. We came across a way of beating Australia in England and we know how to do it … If we do it as well as we did last time there's no reason why the result will be any different."

Many Australians think that the home side are too strong for England and the series will prove a damp squid and nothing at all like the previous encounter in England. I can't see the series being a whitewash however and I think England will push to the end. It will be a narrow victory for Australia but much will depends on the fitness of McGrath and Warne and the form of Michael “pup” Clarke who has been recalled to the injured Watson.