Despite watching his inexperienced team get trounced by England, Cricket Australia XI coach Ryan Harris isn't changing his Ashes forecast.
"I think we will win," said Harris, an ex-Test quick who is now an Australian high performance coach.
"It's going to be really close. I think we will get over the line, we're really hard to beat in our conditions but it's going to be a really good series."
Harris was coach of a CA XI which lost by 192 runs to England in a tour game in Adelaide.
The tourists suffered a second-innings batting crash, losing 7-45, before England's bowlers skittled Harris' outfit for 75.
"There is probably not a lot of pace there ... but it's a good attack," Harris said of England's bowling line-up.
"If you have got (Jimmy) Anderson and (Stuart) Broad in your bowling attack it's going to be pretty good."
But Harris noted enough weaknesses in England's batting to label it vulnerable.
"It is, absolutely, especially with no (Ben) Stokes at six or seven," he said.
"But it depends on how the boys bowl to them. If the boys bowl loose and wide, there's troubles.
"But we have got some good intel and some good knowledge on what we want to do which I will pass on to our (Test) bowlers."
England will play the CA XI in a four-day game starting Wednesday in Townsville, their last tune-up before the Ashes opener from November 23.
Paceman Jake Ball suffered strained ligaments in his right ankle when bowling on Thursday, just days after fellow quick Steven Finn was sent home because of a knee injury.
But spinning allrounder Moeen Ali will make his first competitive appearance on tour in Townsville, having recovered from a side strain.
England remain resigned to being without Stokes for the Ashes series. The New Zealand-born allrounder remains at home awaiting the outcome of a police investigation into a street fight in late September.
