ENGLAND prepared themselves for the most daunting part of the season today by accepting they must recapture their early-season sparkle if they are going to challenge Australia for the remainder of summer.

Sunday's laboured five-wicketdefeat of Bangladesh at Headingley completed England's clashes with the international minnows this summer.

They now face five consecutive one-day matches against Australia, including Saturday's NatWest Series final, and five Ashes Tests in succession.

It is a daunting schedule against a side ranked No 1 at both Test and one-day cricket and sets England up for the most intensive period of cricket of the summer in both formats of the game.

But before they begin that intimidating schedule, which begins with today's day-night encounter at Edgbaston, they concede they must rediscover their best form if they are going to compete.

"We can't play against Australia for the rest of the summer and not be as good as we have been," stressed Marcus Trescothick, who led the side again at Headingley after captain Michael Vaughan was ruled out with a groin strain.

"In the Twenty20 game and the game at Bristol, we were really up for those games and really buzzing and everything was happening for us - we have to be like that every day and in every game that we play against them from now on.

"In every game we've played against them so far, bar the defeat in Durham, we were really spot on how we played. I think it's good now that we know we have to get into good habits and up our game and play at a different intensity and a different level of cricket to beat the Australians."

That level of performance was missing from the start against Bangladesh, with Simon Jones setting the tone by delivering four successive wides to start the second over of the match, and four catches were also spilled in a sloppy fielding display.

They made amends with Andrew Flintoff claiming four for 29 and man of the match Andrew Strauss hitting a six and seven fours in his 98 off 104 balls to complete victory with 11.1 overs remaining.

"I think there were a few things that didn't go to plan," conceded Trescothick. "I don't think we started the day very well and we didn't set the tone - we weren't our normal bubbly selves and it took us 15 to 20 overs to get going.

"You can't afford to take 20 overs to focus. If we were playing Australia and we took 20 overs to get going then they would really hurt us."

Trescothick's frustration at England's performance was shared by Strauss, who hopes the higher profile games against Australia in both formats of the game will inspire improved displays.

"I just think every game from now until the end of the summer is a very big game," he said. "I think we have to approach every game in the same manner - we have to be 100% switched on.

"You can't afford to let any momentum from this summer slip away. We've got a little bit of momentum with us at the moment and we've got to continue that.

"We've got to be at our best, do the right things by fielding well and bowling well and keep the Aussies under pressure."