Australia selector Merv Hughes wants a return to the hard-nosed days of former skipper Allan Border when the side look to regain the Ashes next November.

Hughes said friendships with English players may have contributed to their defeat in England last year.

"It was all too matey for me - imagine if Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen didn't have that friendship," he said.

"We lost the attitude towards the English that we once had, the attitude that was introduced by Allan Border."

Border took on a struggling team in 1985, leading them to 32 Test victories, with three Ashes series wins in six.

And former fast bowler Hughes, who played 44 Tests, was an uncompromising competitor typical of the Border era.

Both men are now national selectors, with Hughes currently on duty for Australia A's Top End series against A teams from India, Pakistan and New Zealand in Cairns, north Queensland.

His words echo those of former skipper Steve Waugh, who told BBC Sport that Australia had "lost a bit of mystique" by being too friendly with England.

However, Test opener Justin Langer rejected Hughes' claim as "the most ludicrous thing I've ever heard".

Langer argued: "We played good, hard cricket on the field and had a beer off it - that's how it should be."

The eagerly anticipated Ashes series gets underway in Brisbane on 23 November.

BBC News

Funny, the Aussies sometimes accuse the Poms as being whingers. Cut it out Merv, you lost `cos you weren`t as good. End of story. Move on.

Quote:Hughes said friendships with English players may have contributed to their defeat in England last year.

"It was all too matey for me"