Australia's 17-man squad to defend the Ashes against England this summer is packed with pace men as well as a fair share of ageing stars. Ten of their squad are in their thirties, paving the way for a raft of Dad’s Army references that will gather momentum if they get off to a bad start in Cardiff. Nonetheless, this is a squad that I would pick to defend the urn. Never mind planning for the future, their tour will be all about the present. Team Australia celebrate after winning the Cricket World Cup before naming their Ashes squad . NICE BALANCE . My first thought when I saw the squad was that it’s the way I’d have gone about selection. A five-Test series in England is not the time to experiment and the Australians have put faith in experience. Australia's selection of Adam Voges will bring an experienced head with them this summer . Adam Voges is an interesting choice: like Chris Rogers, he knows English conditions well. It’s not a tour for blooding a young batsman. It’s also why they’ve gone with Peter Siddle among the seamers. If Ryan Harris breaks down, Siddle can slot straight in. FIREPOWER . IF Mitchell Johnson bowls anything like he did during the last Ashes, Australia should win. Both sides know there’s still some scarring. Mitchell Starc managed to swing the white Kookaburra during the World Cup so he should be able to swing the red Dukes ball in England. He swings it late, too — as Brendon McCullum found out in the final. Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson will be hoping to terrorise English batsmen like he did last time around . I was impressed with Josh Hazlewood, too. He could prosper in England with his hit-the-deck style. Harris always has wicket-taking potential, although I wonder how quickly he’ll slot back in after sitting out the West Indies tour. No 3 THE KEY . The series could hinge on Australia’s No 3. Whoever it is, England will think they have a chance. Shane Watson has done the job in the past without ever really making it his own and there’s been talk of Steve Smith moving up the order. Steve Smith has been in sensational form and could get moved up the batting order to No 3 . He’s in the form of his life but he still moves around a lot at the crease. If the ball’s swinging, that could spell trouble. The other option would be Voges, who has just averaged 104 in the Sheffield Shield. AGE CONCERN . I firmly believe you should try to get every last drop out of some of these cricketers, especially in an Ashes. As England discovered in 2013-14, an ageing side is only a problem if the players are approaching retirement, like Graeme Swann. At 37-years-old, Brad Haddin is likely to be playing his last Ashes along with a few others . But for someone like Rogers this tour will be a last hurrah. I’ll be watching Brad Haddin. He’s a fierce competitor but he’s 37 and keeping in England can be tricky because of the late swing. DODGY AT THE BACK . Part of the reason Michael Clarke has given up one-day internationals is to manage his dodgy back. Mike Atherton will tell you a bad back can go at any moment, although Clarke looked physically sharp during the World Cup. Captain Michael Clarke will be hoping he doesn't suffer a recurrence of his back problems . But if the Australia captain’s back is stiff when they play in England, the bowlers will test out the 33-year-old’s suppleness against the short ball. He’s still vulnerable early on. Michael Clarke (capt) Age 33 . Caps 108 . Verdict Age has not diminished his class, as he proved in the World Cup final. But his dodgy back could be an issue in a five-Test series. Should out-captain Alastair Cook once more. David Warner . Age 28 . Caps 36 . Verdict Could win a Test or two by himself if he bats for a couple of sessions. Moeen Ali’s off-breaks will be crucial in pinning him down. Likes to say a word or two. Shane Watson . Age 33 . Caps 56 . Verdict Has a decent record in Ashes cricket, but has never reached the stage where he frightens England. But his medium-pace balances Australia’s team in a way Cook can only envy. Shaun Marsh . Age 31 . Caps 12 . Verdict A gritty left-hander, and son of former Test opener Geoff. Began Test career with 141 in Sri Lanka in 2011, but success has been sporadic since then. CV includes six ducks. Mitchell Johnson . Age 33 . Caps 64 . Verdict If England haven’t got over the trauma of the 2013-14 series, when Johnson took 37 wickets at 13 apiece, the Ashes will stay with Australia. Josh Hazlewood . Age 24 . Caps 3 . Verdict One of a batch of promising Australian fast bowlers, he proved economical beyond his years during the successful World Cup campaign. A flawless action bodes well. James Faulkner . Age 24 . Caps 1 . Verdict Played his only Test to date at The Oval in 2013, where he got up England’s noses by accusing them of boring batting. A left-arm seam-bowling all-rounder, he can give the ball an almighty whack. James Pattinson . Age 24 . Caps 13 . Verdict Injuries have limited him since he burst on to the scene in 2011-12, but the talent is undeniable: tall, aggressive and fast, he should trouble England more than his brother, Darren, when playing for England in a single Test against South Africa in 2008. Peter Siddle . Age 30 . Caps 56 . Verdict The banana-loving seamer is a veteran of two Ashes tours, and could provide relentless accuracy while the quicker bowlers fire around him. Kevin Pietersen, for one, found him almost impossible to score off in 2013-14. Brad Haddin (wkt) Age 37 . Caps 63 . Verdict Australia’s second-most important cog in their 5-0 Ashes wheel in 2013-14, after Mitchell Johnson. His sledging from behind the stumps is considered the heartbeat of the team. Chris Rogers . Age 37 . Caps 20 . Verdict This will be his last hurrah in a late-blooming Test career. Calm, compact and the perfect foil for the exuberance of his opening partner Warner. Steve Smith (vice captain) Age 25 . Caps 26 . Verdict One of world cricket’s rising stars, he scored four tons in Australia’s recent home series against India. Will captain the side full-time after Clarke retires, and can burgle the odd wicket with his leg-spin. Nathan Lyon . Age 27 . Caps 39 . Verdict A steady off-spinner who troubled England’s right-handers  during whitewash. But, really, they should have nothing to fear. Mitchell Starc . Age 25 . Caps 15 . Verdict Another left-arm seamer, and Man of the Tournament at the World Cup. His yorkers are as dangerous in Tests as they are in ODIs, and  accuracy and pace have improved. Ryan Harris . Age 35 . Caps 27 . Verdict If he can drag his injury-laden body through one final series, Australia will be thrilled. He was an unsung star during their 3-0 defeat here two years ago, and produced the ball of the series to bowl Cook in Perth. Josh Hazlewood . Age 24 . Caps 3 . Verdict One of a batch of promising Australian fast bowlers, he proved economical beyond his years during the successful World Cup campaign. A flawless action bodes well. Fawad Ahmed . Age 33 . Caps 20 . Verdict The Pakistan-born leg-spinner has played only three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games for Australia, so would represent a risk. But Australian leggies have done well in England before… . Michael Clarke (capt) Age 33 . Caps 108 . Verdict Age has not diminished his class, as he proved in the World Cup final. But his dodgy back could be an issue in a five-Test series. Should out-captain Alastair Cook once more. David Warner . Age 28 . Caps 36 . Verdict Could win a Test or two by himself if he bats for a couple of sessions. Moeen Ali’s off-breaks will be crucial in pinning him down. Likes to say a word or two. Shane Watson . Age 33 . Caps 56 . Verdict Has a decent record in Ashes cricket, but has never reached the stage where he frightens England. But his medium-pace balances Australia’s team in a way Cook can only envy. Shaun Marsh . Age 31 . Caps 12 . Verdict A gritty left-hander, and son of former Test opener Geoff. Began Test career with 141 in Sri Lanka in 2011, but success has been sporadic since then. CV includes six ducks. Mitchell Johnson . Age 33 . Caps 64 . Verdict If England haven’t got over the trauma of the 2013-14 series, when Johnson took 37 wickets at 13 apiece, the Ashes will stay with Australia. Peter Siddle . Age 30 . Caps 56 . Verdict The banana-loving seamer is a veteran of two Ashes tours, and could provide relentless accuracy while the quicker bowlers fire around him. Kevin Pietersen, for one, found him almost impossible to score off in 2013-14. Mitchell Marsh . Age 23 . Caps 4 . Verdict A rangy all-rounder and younger brother of Shaun, Marsh stunned England during the World Cup with figures of 5 for 33 at Melbourne – despite having taken only six ODI wickets until then. His batting is the stronger suit. Peter Nevill . Age 29 . Caps 0 . Verdict Peter who? Nevill has been chosen as the reserve wicketkeeper behind his New South Wales team-mate Haddin, although he has also played as a specialist batsman for his state team. Unlikely to get a game unless Haddin breaks a finger. Adam Voges . Age 35 . Caps 0 . Verdict An outsider for a Test debut, but he knows English conditions well – Voges has spent time with Hampshire, Middlesex and Nottinghamshire – and bowls left-arm spin to complement his middle-order hitting.
England host Australia for the 2015 Ashes on home turf this summer . With players including Michael Clarke (33), Chris Rogers (37) and Brad Haddin (37), Australia could face accusations of being a 'Dad's Army'
Nonetheless, this is the squad that Nasser Hussain would pick .