Australia go into Sunday's fourth Melbourne Test fuelled by the momentum from their emphatic 267-run victory in Perth, which levelled the series at 1-1. But they cannot afford a slip-up in the last two matches.
"We always talk about the last two Tests in a series being where things are won and lost," England skipper Andrew Strauss said on Friday.
"The first few games set it up and the last couple bring it home. That is the challenge for us."
England looked poised for their first series triumph Down Under since 1986-87 after an innings victory in the second Adelaide Test, before Ricky Ponting's team hit back spectacularly in the third Test at the WACA.
"All of us need to bring it together in the last two games here and at Sydney," Strauss said in Melbourne.
"Most of our guys still feel in pretty good form, but you need those guys to stand up and deliver at the business end of the series."
Alastair Cook has scored 495 in five innings, Strauss and Jonathan Trott hit centuries in Brisbane, and Kevin Pietersen was unstoppable with a majestic 227 in Adelaide before they all stumbled in Perth.
