Former Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper Richard Blakey does not think England will go on and win the Ashes 5-0.

Blakey expects his big mate Darren Lehmann to have a big impact in his new role as Australia’s head coach, and feels predictions of a whitewash from leading figures such as David Lloyd and Sir Ian Botham were over optimistic.

Botham even went one step further and predicted a 10-0 whitewash in the back-to-back series.

“I know England are a good side, but I don’t think 5-0 is realistically on the cards,” said Blakey, who played two Tests in India in 1993.

“It may still happen, we don’t know. But that would be a big surprise. I expect it to be a bit closer than that, although I think England will still win the series. They’ve got more match-winners in their side, Anderson and Swann, particularly.

“Ultimately, we’ve just got a bit more experience in the batting order.

“The Aussies never roll over, though. I think with the appointment of Darren, who is very much a people’s man and a team man, it will without question get more out of the lads. They seem to have responded to him already.”

Blakey played with Lehmann at Yorkshire until retiring in 2004, and he went to meet his former team-mate at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

“He’s enjoying it,” he continued. “It all happened very quickly for him, so he’s still finding his feet to a certain degree. It’s probably not even sunk in yet because he’s been very busy since his appointment. The couple of weeks before an Ashes series is all go.

“Having played with him and knowing the type of character he is, I know how well people will want to do for him. I think he’s well respected by all the players, and that can only help morale and ultimately performance.

“Everyone in our dressing room at Yorkshire had ultimate respect for him. It was not so much technical advice he gave but more mental advice to put you at ease with your game. That was his big skill. I think that’s what he’ll be trying to do with with the Australian lads.”

Nineteen-year-old Ashton Agar’s selection may have been a big surprise to many when it was confirmed on the morning of the match but the player himself was told a couple of days beforehand – partly because it gave his parents enough time to fly over from Australia.

It was something Blakey described as “a classic case of the good management that Darren’s renowned for”.

Blakey has spent the last four seasons commentating on Yorkshire’s Twenty20 matches for BBC Radio, so saw Mitchell Starc at close quarters last year.

“He’s a very good bowler,” he added. “I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him in this match. He’s only young and has all the attributes. To swing it at that pace from a left-arm angle is a good thing. He should progress match by match.”

* Richard Blakey is an ambassador for Asda’s Kwik Cricket Scheme. Go to your.asda.com/kwik-cricket and follow @asdakwikcricket on twitter for more information.