At 41, both coaches will be experiencing the Ashes maelstrom for the first time.

Andy Flower, who Kevin Pietersen wanted out under his plans for a regime change, has already struck up an excellent working relationship with England captain Andrew Strauss in a short period of time.

Australia's Tim Nielsen is also fairly new to the scene - having taken over in 2007 from John Buchanan, the most successful coach in Test match history with 25 series victories.

While the former head of Australia's academy does not have the same talent pool at his disposal as his predecessor, he has won admirers with his thoughtful and tactical approach.