FRESH off the back of correctly predicting England’s Ashes victory over the summer, Jon Lewis has returned to play soothsayer and give Adver readers the inside track on what is about to happen in the return series Down Under.

Swindon seamer Lewis, who recently signed for Sussex following his release by Surrey, knows a thing or two about playing against the Aussies on their own turf - having played two ODIs in Melbourne and Brisbane in 2007.

The 38-year-old has a reputation to protect, having foreseen England’s 3-0 success in the home Tests back in June. This time around he expects the series to be closer, with the consistency of Australia’s bowlers the major swing factor.

“I think it’s going to be a really good, close series. Australia are always better at home, they’re a hard team to beat in Australia,” he told the Advertiser.

“England are going to have to work extremely hard to get the result they want out of it. They had to work hard in the summer, that was no walkover either.

“My biggest fear for Australia is their bowling. They’re losing a lot of guys through injury and what they’ve got left can be hit or miss for them.

“Siddle is a good bowler and Harris is too as long as he is able to stay fit, but how long he’ll last I don’t know.

“Mitchell Johnson has been brought back into the team and he can bowl fast. In that respect he’ll be looking to get England playing against the short ball and giving them something to think about. But if England can deal with that they will be fine. I don’t fancy him to work.”

Michael Carberry looks set to open the batting for England in Brisbane when the first Test gets under way tonight, replacing Joe Root who is expected to move to number six.

Lewis backs team manager Andy Flower’s decision, highlighting Carberry’s strength against the short ball and Australia’s tendency to resort to chin music in times of desperation.

“I think it’s a really good move,” he said. “He is very good against the short ball and he cuts and pulls the ball well, which is always important in Australia.

“I haven’t seen enough of Joe Root to say whether or not he is competent against the short ball but for me putting Carberry up there is the right move.”

The other major selection headache for Flower and captain Alastair Cook is which of the seam trio of Chris Tremlett, Boyd Rankin and Steven Finn to include at The Gabba.

Having played with Tremlett, perhaps unsurprisingly Lewis thinks the giant Surrey paceman is the pick of the bunch.

“I’ve played with Chris Tremlett and if he’s fit and firing he’s the man for the job,” he said. “Finn and Boyd Rankin bowl slightly shorter than him and if you don’t get that right in Australia you’ll be punished.

“I fancy Anderson and Broad to make a big impact out there as well, they seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.”

So, what about the answer we’ve all been waiting for? Lewis barely hesitated when asked for a prediction.

“I’m going for 2-1 England,” he said. “We always lost in Perth and it’s a really hard pitch in Brisbane, so I think the first Test will be a draw.

“I think we’ll win in Melbourne and either Sydney or Adelaide and lose in Perth. Traditionally the grounds England perform best at are Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. I think there will be lots of similarities between this series and the last one in Australia. First and foremost, we’ll need matchsticks for our eyes.”