Strauss: It's a big year and we must keep our eye on the ball

Stephen Brenkley looks ahead to the Fifth Ashes Test against Australia

England can think of no more than Sydney in the first week of the year. Win the Fifth Test against Australia that starts tonight (at 11.30pm UK time) and they enter the pantheon of Ashes champions. Not since 1954-55 has an England team come here and won three matches against Australia – disregarding the 5-1 triumph in 1978-79 which was against, at best, Australia's second XI, their best players having jumped ship for the cash on offer in World Series Cricket.

It is some prize to aim for. But beyond this week there is more still on offer. The Ashes are one thing, but the World Cup follows in February (going on until April) and then there is India at home this summer – and a Sri Lanka side full of vim, vigour and talent.

"Yes, 2011 is a big year again and all the more reason for not taking our eye off the ball," said England's captain Andrew Strauss yesterday. "The nature of international cricket these days is that you are always looking forward to the next event. Here we are in Sydney, it's an important Test, and clearly we want to win the Ashes and not just retain them, and then you look at the World Cup, and Sri Lanka and India... they're huge series ahead of us, and that's pretty motivating and exciting."

By the end of this week, England could be Ashes-holders and series winners. By the end of this year they could be world champions and perhaps the No 1 Test side in the world. "If we win the Sri Lanka and India series we're going to be closer than we are now," said Strauss. "They're not going to be easy by any means and we can't think about them too much at this stage. This Test is important and then the one-day series, which is a precursor to the World Cup, so that is where a lot of our planning, strategy and training will take place."

Len Hutton's side of 55 years ago, who won 3-1 after losing the opening Test, contained some of the greatest of English cricketing names – Denis Compton, Peter May, Brian Statham, Tom Graveney, Colin Cowdrey – and a one-series wonder in fast bowler Frank Tyson.

To follow that lot with three victories, England will have to apply themselves as never before this winter. The tourists are 2-1 up, the Ashes have been retained and it will be easy to relax thinking the job has been done. But a 2-2 draw would not make them a team to remember.

Australia are in disarray, with the captain Ricky Ponting out injured and with a stand-in, Michael Clarke, whom the country appears to dislike, and with two probable debutants in Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer. Some would say all that makes them doubly dangerous.

"What we're conscious of is that if we keep playing the cricket we did in Melbourne and Adelaide then we're going to be hard for any team to beat," said Strauss. "That's got to be the game plan here. You've got to be careful you don't take your foot off the accelerator.

"There have been cases in the past of us not using Ashes victories as springboards of success. The characters we have in our side aren't that way inclined. They realise what has got us [here] has been hard graft and commitment. A lot of the guys at 27, 28 and 29, they're experienced but they're at their peak, which is encouraging."

England can go places, starting in Sydney this week.

What's next for England?

Big Tests to come:

May-June 2011 home to Sri Lanka (3 Tests)

July-August 2011 home to India (4 Tests)

October 2011 away to India (5 ODIs)

January 2012 away to Pakistan (3 Tests)

ICC Test Championship

Team/Matches/Points/Rating

India 38 /4893 /129

South Africa 32 /3712 /116

England 39 /4355 /112

Australia 37 /4061 /110

Sri Lanka 27 /2951 /109

Pakistan 26 /2275 /88

West Indies 25 /2128 /85

New Zealand 29 /2318 /80

Bangladesh 19 /131 /7

How England can top the rankings:

1. England beat Australia 3-1

2. South Africa beat India 2-1

3. England beat Sri Lanka 3-0

4. West Indies draw 1-1 with India

5. England beat India 3-1.