Stoneman tips England to hit back

England opener Mark Stoneman is determined to help his embattled team prove they are more than just Ashes also-rans in this summer's two remaining Tests.

Joe Root's men have lost the urn at the first opportunity, 3-0 down before Christmas, but Stoneman is confident they are capable of hitting back in Melbourne and Sydney - going so far as to say he believes the teams' bowling departments are evenly matched.

Stoneman has great respect for the home attack, having been given a torrid time at the WACA by Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc especially.

Asked if Australia's three pace bowlers and off-spinner Nathan Lyon are as tough a combination as he has faced, he said: "Yes ... three quicks and a top-quality operating spinner, they're definitely a complete unit.

"(But) at times, it hasn't felt an impossible task. We've shown glimpses ... that we're able to get on top, get ourselves in a good position."

But, asked if it felt as if England were playing against a better side, Stoneman told BBC Sport: "In all honesty no, we're two sides of fairly balanced bowling attacks.

"They have maybe had us covered at times in the pace department but when we've had the ball moving we've shown we're able to put their batsmen under a lot of pressure and at times with the bat as well we've been putting runs on the board, but just not enough.

"Despite what's being reported in matters off-field this group has really worked hard and it's just those key moments each time they've managed to get the upper hand on us."

England lost the first Test at the Gabba by 10 wickets, before suffering a 120-run defeat in Adelaide and an innings-and-41 run loss in Perth.

"It's pretty devastating really," Stoneman said, as he reflected on the innings defeat in Perth which meant Australia have regained the Magellan Ashes already.

"We came from the first two games, with the knowledge of where we wanted to put things right and how we were going to do things better ... it's pretty hard to take."

The Melbourne Test is next up from December 26 and Stoneman added: "It's obviously not ideal going there 3-0 down.

"At the same time what better way to bounce back than to perform well in the Boxing Day Test."

England's cause has not been helped by the desperately lean form of Stoneman's opening partner Alastair Cook.

But Stoneman is convinced England's all-time record runscorer, 33 on Christmas Day, retains the necessary appetite to set the record straight again.

"The way he goes about his preparations, the work in the nets, what he does in the gym and his general love for the game and that hunger ... you can still see it deep within him," he said.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test Australia won by an innings and 41 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21