The last time a team pulled ahead and won the Ashes was in 2005, when I was in the thick of things, he told the BBC.

We led 1-0 before the second test at Edgbaston, which I missed after the infamous stepping on the ball incident during warmups.

We lost an exciting test by a two-point margin, but I will always argue that the series would have been won if we had taken the lead that day.

The same is true now. If Australia wins at Lord’s, the Ashes will be finished, McGrath said.

McGrath also praised England’s new and aggressive approach to the game and said: Naturally, I’m a real Australian, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the way England play. I like it.

It’s good to be confident, but don’t let it turn into complacency, he added.