First of all, how's the knee?
It feels good. The rehab's going really well and things are certainly as encouraging as they could be at this stage. They always say after an operation you know within about four weeks whether it's right or not, and I've had a positive feeling about this right from the start. As before, the running and twisting and turning will be the crucial test because that's when the knee will be properly tried out, but I'll be stepping up my fitness programme any day now with the aim of hitting some balls in the indoor nets sometime in October.

You admitted in the immediate aftermath of your operation that you might never play again. Do you still hold those fears?
What I actually said was that I had to be realistic. I was asked whether my surgeon could give a 100 per cent guarantee that I would play again and I replied, 'What surgeon could do that?' No surgeon can give a 100 per cent guarantee and that was the point I was trying to get across. Although there is a small chance I won't play again, there is a hell of a lot bigger chance that I will and, all being well, I plan to go to Australia in November with the aim of getting in some practice outdoors. At the same time, the selectors won't let me get on the plane unless I'm fit, so I can't afford to look too far ahead.
I'm just about to build up my running and hope to be back playing again during the one-day series in Australia in January.

If you plan to go to Australia in November, does that mean you have an outside chance of featuring towards the back end of the Ashes series?
(Laughs). Again, I think I was quoted somewhere as saying I was hoping to be back fit for the last two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, but what I actually said was that playing in the Ashes would be a dream scenario. It's much more realistic that I might play, or be made available, during the VB one-day series and although it's a cliché, I'm just focusing on trying to get fit and ticking the boxes one day at a time.

How difficult has it been watching from the sidelines while someone else captains your team and takes your place in the starting XI?
It's been incredibly hard. When the team are doing badly you're beating yourself up because you want to help them, and when they're winning you want to be out there celebrating with them. I had six weeks on crutches and they were the longest six weeks ever.
But I've just got back on the golf course for the first time in 11 months and it's little things like that that keep you going. Hitting a golf ball pain free was one of the targets I set myself and that's what I mean about ticking the boxes. Batting in the indoor nets pain free would be a nicer feeling, and that will mark the next stage in my overall recovery.
Do you think the cool-headed qualities with which you are associated as captain have helped you cope with your time on the sidelines?
I hope so. I'm quite good at treating ups and downs just the same and my temperament and will have been sorely tested. If I get a 150, for example, I'm quite good at saying, 'Right, let's move on to the next thing'. Likewise, if I get dismissed for a duck. But this injury has been my biggest test. A lot of sportsmen have long periods out injured, times when things don't turn out to plan, so I guess you could say I'm taking my gap year all at once. Seriously, I hope to have a few more years left at the top, but if you look at my life compared to a lot of people in this world, I'm very, very lucky. Without wishing to get too emotional about it, there are people dying out there and all I've got is a sore knee. So what on earth have I got to be worried about?

Have England gambled by selecting a number of players for the Ashes who are suffering from injuries and also by choosing Marcus Trescothick following his personal problems?
Absolutely not. I spoke to the selectors quite regularly about the squad and it was one of the easiest Ashes touring parties you could possibly pick. There weren't really any tough decisions and the selectors would not have taken any risks on fitness. They must be very, very confident because they would not take risks for such a big series, and although people will always have their views as to whether certain players should be included, the squad is right in my opinion.

What about Australia? How do you expect their team to line up?
They've obviously brought in people like Mike Hussey but I think the biggest change this time will be that they will probably go in with an out-and-out all-rounder. I can see them playing a five-man attack with Adam Gilchrist at No 6 and possibly Shane Watson as the all-rounder at No 7. Five bowlers is definitely the way to go as far as I'm concerned. Last year, I could call on Flintoff, Harmison, Hoggard, Jones and Giles and was happy that I had bowlers who could exploit all types of conditions.

Can England really hang on to the Ashes given their many injury problems, not to mention Australia's resurgent form since last summer's defeat?
It won't be easy, but I think we've got one hell of a good chance. There will only be myself and Simon Jones not fit for that first Test in Brisbane and we can't use injuries as an excuse for anything that might happen. Australia will be at home, so they will have a little bit of a head start, but I don't think any of our players will be fazed by that. Ricky Ponting and his team have been phenomenal since they lost the Ashes, but we beat them last summer by playing some terrific cricket and there's no reason why we can't beat them again.

Australia appear to have improved since the 2005 series, but have the England team gone forwards or backwards?
This winter will be the ultimate test of whether we've improved. The team achieved a good victory against Pakistan and will travel to Australia with plenty of confidence. But I still think we made a number of errors last year and still won the Ashes, so it's all about how the team shapes up on any given day. If you think back to last year, we didn't play well at Lord's, we let the Aussies come back at us at Trent Bridge and didn't finish them off at Old Trafford. We didn't hit home the advantages as well as we might and that's a huge positive in terms of whether or not this side can get better. I actually think we're miles off peaking as a team because to peak as a team you've got to play together for a number of years. We've only had the Ashes team together for about nine months, while the players who have come in are improving all the time. How many 20-year-olds like Alastair Cook have the Aussies got, for example? It's hard to say whether we've got better since 2005, but the important thing is that we've got the talent and strength in depth, and probably more strength in depth than the Australians.

Leaving aside Test cricket for a moment, why are we so poor in the one-day game?
It's baffling. The disappointing thing is that, on any given day, we can beat anyone in the world, and I still believe we've got four, five, maybe six players who can win a one-day match on their own.
That's why I genuinely think we can win major one-day tournaments such as the World Cup and the Champions' Trophy. We will have to play a hell of a lot better, but we have got the individuals to win big competitions.
What did you make of Australia's recent boot camp in the Brisbane outback? Aren't they taking things a bit too far?
I quite like that sort of thing to be honest. A lot of teams do boot camps and the England team will do plenty of bonding during the Champions' Trophy, when quite a few of the Ashes squad will be around. Some players are sceptical about training camp routines, and much has been made of the fact Stuart MacGill got injured during the boot camp in Brisbane, but you can get injured walking down the stairs so I don't really see there are too many negatives.

What will be the specific keys to beating Australia?
Playing Shane Warne will be the crucial factor. Everyone knows he is an incredible bowler and how we play Warne is bound to be important. Beyond that, it will be the little things that make the difference. We need to bat first and make big runs, because you need to score massive runs over there to be successful. We need to get rid of Adam Gilchrist cheaply, as we did last summer, and we need two or three players to have an outstanding campaign and everybody else to have a very good one. It's a pretty long list, but the most important thing is that we make the most of whatever opportunities come our way.

Australia are renowned for intimidating opponents verbally as much as in a cricketing sense. How do players cope with their sledging tactics?
The Aussies have got this big reputation for sledging, but in actual fact they are nowhere near as bad as some teams. Some of the sub-continental sides, for example, are far worse sledgers than Australia, so I think that sort of thing can get over-hyped. There's just this perception that the Aussies are worse than everyone else when, in reality, they're just a tough nation who like to impose their authority whatever sport they're playing.

Much was made of the teams socialising off the field last summer and the fact it perhaps gave you an advantage. Do you expect Australia to be less chummy this time as they attempt to win back the Ashes and restore national pride?
Not really. I don't think having a drink with the opposition after a day's play makes any difference at all to be honest. Once you're on the pitch you play it tough, but it's a sad day if players can't socialise with one another at the end of a day's cricket.

You spoke a lot last year of the need to hit the ground running against Australia and to match them in terms of positivity and aggression. Will that game-plan still apply out there, or should the team adopt a more cautious approach?
The team should look to be as positive and aggressive as last year. You have to compete with the Australians in that respect, otherwise they will just walk all over you. You don't beat them by playing a negative game, you beat them by trying to get ahead of them and not allowing them to get up again. India did well in Australia by scoring big runs at something like 3.7 runs per over. Conditions will go some way to dictating strategy, but the game-plan should certainly be as positive as last year.

Was there a particular turning point in last year's Ashes?
Maybe the first day at Edgbaston. I was pretty happy when Ponting put us into bat and I always like to bat first against the Aussies. If it's a green-top you're not going to do that, but that day was crucial and to score at five an over on the first day was maybe the turning point of the series. We lost our inhibitions and played with freedom. We went out there to be aggressive and we were. I remember bumping into Geoffrey Boycott in the car park afterwards and he said that we hadn't got enough runs. But the positive approach undoubtedly worked wonders.

Could Monty Panesar be the X-factor this winter?
It would be brilliant if he was. He was the find of the summer from our point of view but I haven't really seen much of him. There's a big difference between watching someone from the sidelines and seeing for yourself what they're like in the dressing room, but he appears to have all the right attributes.

What is the key to successful captaincy?
Winning the toss.

What is the real key to successful captaincy?
You know, it's not rocket science. People can read too much into it sometimes but the main thing is to get the basics right. Also, it's important to remember that the youngest, most inexperienced member of your side might have the brightest idea. You have to listen to everyone. I like to give the freedom of the team huddle, for example, to many players. It can give a young player a massive lift to let him speak during an important huddle on the pitch and you have to try to get the best out of people.

What is it like being captain during an Ashes series?
Nasser Hussain said when I took the job that you can beat any team in the world, but the only thing that people are really bothered about is the Ashes. It really is a totally different ball game and the media scrutiny is far more intense. It's the biggest pressure job now for a long, long time because of the fact we hold the urn, but I know that Freddie Flintoff will do really well. He texted me the other day and invited me out for dinner to pick my brains, which is a bit of a worry, so I compromised and said I would go out for lunch.
chris.waters@ypn.co.uk