Steven Finn says England have their best chance of winning an Ashes series in Australia in 15 years.
Finn, a member of England's last victorious touring party in 2010/11, believes the continuity fostered under Brendon McCullum could help exploit vulnerabilities in an unsettled Australian side.
With uncertainty over Australia's opening pair and captain Pat Cummins ruled out of the first Test, Finn is backing England to reclaim the urn.
"England have got their best chance in 15 years," the former England bowler told SportNews News. "They have a relatively settled line-up, which lends itself to consistency - exactly what you need in an Ashes series.
"There's a bit of turbulence in Australia too, with a more unsettled line-up than they've had in the past 15 years. They've got challenges fitting both all-rounders - Beau Webster and Cam Green - into the side.
"Figuring out their top three is one of Australia's biggest question marks heading into the series.
"I'm going to err on the positive side and predict a 3-2 series win for England."
Steve Smith will captain Australia in the first Test in Perth after Cummins was ruled out with a back injury. The skipper is racing to recover in time to play a role later in the series, and Finn hopes he returns - for the good of the contest.
"It's a blow for the series," Finn added. "Even though we want England to win, you want the best players involved.
"I love watching Cummins bowl, and it's a real shame he won't be fit for the first Test, at the very least.
"It's good news for England because he's an amazing bowler, but not great for the series - you want to see the best out there."
Finn's former team-mate Chris Woakes echoed his confidence in England's chances.
"England's chances are high," Woakes said. "I really think we've got a great chance of winning - and we will win the series.
"Winning Down Under is hard; it's not going to be straightforward. But the squad we've built over the last few years has a great opportunity to go there and deliver.
"We've worked hard together for a while and reaped the rewards of being a consistent group. Now comes the ultimate test - to win in Australia."
Marnus Labuschagne has issued a pre-Ashes warning to England, comparing his current form to his breakout year in 2019.
The 31-year-old smashed his fifth century in eight innings for Queensland against NSW in the one-day cup, with a blistering 101 that lifted his summer average to 84.87 across all formats.
Asked how this run compared to previous career peaks, Labuschagne pointed to his meteoric rise in 2019, when he went from Test debutant and Ashes winner in England to the top of the batting rankings.
"The only period I can compare it to is probably 2019 at Glamorgan," he said. "But not across both formats.
"Right now, I feel like my batting is in a great place - just trusting my skills and myself out there. It's all coming together."
