England must improve their bowling to stand a realistic chance of beating Australia in the Ashes this winter, says Pakistan captain Salman Butt.

Pakistan, who drew their summer series with Australia 1-1, overcame England on Saturday to win the third Test.

"If this is the English bowling they will find that hard in Australian conditions," said Butt.

"England are best in their conditions but anywhere else you play I think Australia have the edge."

Andrew Strauss's men begin their tour to Australia on 5 November with a match against Western Australia.

They play two further warm-ups before the opening Test against Ricky Ponting's side in Brisbane on 25 November and the second Test in Adelaide on 3 December.

606: DEBATE This loss does not mean anything in relation to the Ashes - Pakistan have very different strengths and weaknesses to the Aussies red7

England travel to Perth for the third Test, which starts on 16 December, head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test and finish the series in Sydney from 3-7 January.

A two-match Twenty20 series then proceeds a seven-match One Day International duel.

"Australia's nature is to attack teams and the only way to beat them is to take it to them and counter-attack," explained Butt, who helped Pakistan to a three-wicket win over Australia in his first match as skipper in July.

The 25-year-old left-hander, scorer of two centuries in six Tests in Australia, believes England will face a far stiffer challenge than they did in the 2-1 Ashes victory on home soil in 2009.

In Saturday's four-wicket defeat by Pakistan at The Oval, the hosts relied heavily on spinner Graeme Swann when the ball was not swinging for the seam bowlers, a problem they could face again in Australia.

"My experience says Australia are a much better side in their home conditions than they were over here in the last Ashes," Butt added.

"The ball doesn't swing as much there and the bowlers have to work very hard."

In the latest ICC Test bowling ranking off-spinner Swann has moved up one place to second position but paceman James Anderson has fallen one place to fifth, Stuart Broad is down three places to 11th and Steven Finn has slipped three places to 35th.

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