TODAY is the day English cricket lovers relish - the Aussies are here again.

Every four years or so since the Golden Age, the land down under has sent its fiery fast bowlers, its wily spinners, its debonair batsmen - and its stonewallers - to put the Poms in their place.

Armstrong's 1921 side and Bradman's peerless 1948 outfit might stand astride the summit of greatness, but the Australian teams of the late 1990s and the early years of this century have approached the peak.

Traditionally, they have begun their summer campaign with a game against Worcestershire and this year is no different. New Road will be the place to be for the next three days - providing the weather holds.

The cricketing talent on show is the stuff of legends. Glenn McGrath and Steve Waugh would challenge for a place in any XI of Australian all time greats. And, of course, Shane Warne is one of the finest players ever to have come to these shores.

In Worcestershire, too, there is a batting great, but the enigma that is Graeme Hick has caused English fans to scratch their heads for a decade.

Would it be a forlorn hope that this masterful batsman will make such a hatful of runs in the next few weeks that the selectors are forced to recall him?

But even if another summons to the colours for Mr Hick proves too much for chairman of selectors David Graveney and his colleagues, this resurgent England side should provide stiffer opposition than any since Ray Illingworth's days as captain.

This summer there will be much cricket to enjoy.

And with skilful players at their best, a little luck, imaginative planning and bloody-minded determination - a quality the Aussies demonstrate day in, day out - England could yet reclaim the Ashes. Keep your fingers crossed.