It was just like old times at Lord's yesterday: an England side trying to get their act together after a hammering, and Mike Atherton in charge, sitting in a press conference keeping pretty stumm. It might have been Ronan Keating: you say it best when you say nothing at all. Happy days.

The task that lies ahead of England over the next five days is enormous. For a realistic chance of staying in the series they have to avoid losing to one of the best sides ever to play the game, who have won 17 of their last 19 matches.

And they must do this despite being in some disarray, and playing on a ground where Australia have not been beaten in 25 matches since 1934, and that the only time in 105 years. And you thought Sisyphus had an uphill task.

For a fellow who wore the Captain Grumpy mask readily enough in the past, Atherton was in a cheery mood yesterday, as befits someone who knows that whatever happens in this game he is merely having a belated curtain call.

Perhaps he had reflected on Alec Stewart's stand-in performance last summer that saw off West Indies and began the England resurgence.

He had left Edgbaston 11 days ago knowing that Nasser Hussain's finger had been broken and that in all likelihood, as the senior member of the Former England Captains club, he would be sounded out sooner rather than later about leading the side once more.

So he did what he does at such times and went fishing to think about his response.

"When Duncan Fletcher spoke to me early last week I was sure that it would be wrong to turn away from it," he said yesterday.

"These have been extraordinary circumstances, so I accepted the responsibility."

This will be the 53rd time he has led the side, extending his own England record, and the 14th time he has done so against Australia.

He does know how to win against them, having done so at the Oval in his second match in charge in 1993, there again in 1997 (the last time that an England captain won an Ashes toss), at Edgbaston at the start of the 1997 series and in Adelaide in 1995.

This time round he anticipates captaining as he always has done, which will mean safe rather than enterprising, with no frills or thrills attached.

The public's response to the prospect of watching the Australians at Lord's has been phenomenal: a 30,000 sell-out for the first four days, with estimates suggesting 400,000 tickets could have been sold.

"It should be a fantastic occasion," mused Atherton. "I hope we can do it justice."

To do that his side must face the top dogs in a less nerve-ridden manner than they did at Edgbaston. "We have to bowl more consistently, get runs on the board and take our chances," said Atherton. "The critical point of the first Test was that Australia for the most part took their chances when they came and we did not."

England missed perhaps nine opportunities during a match in which Australia, chasing a first-innings total of 294, were 134 for three in the second over of the second morning and in a spot of trouble. You simply cannot allow a team of Australia's quality to wriggle away.

The absence of Hussain and Michael Vaughan is a big loss to the side, as is that of Matthew Hoggard, who could have bowled well at Lord's. But the return of Graham Thorpe, despite his lack of practice, is a massive bonus, restoring the side's premier batsman.

Then there is Mark Ramprakash, the enigma who gets another chance to resurrect his career, the first such opportunity since his controversial move from Middlesex to Surrey.

The Australians genuinely regard him as a top player, a reflection of his 615 runs against them at an average of 43.93. He needs to lay the ghost of Lord's, though, where he has made five noughts and only 81 runs in 11 innings.

From a distance the pitch looks bleached, but given the recent weather and the hindrance to preparation caused by last weekend's B&H final it would be a surprise, as Atherton said, if there were no moisture.

Even if it is dry, Australia will put England in to bat. The home side, looking certain to leave out the spinner Ashley Giles and rely on four seamers, will return the compliment if Steve Waugh fails to call correctly.

After some injury scares, the Australians will field the same 11 that won at Edgbaston, with Brett Lee retaining his place despite Damien Fleming's excellent performances in the county games.