Ashes 2013: England team have the qualities to dominate their era, says Michael Vaughan ahead of third Test In 2010 they mapped out their route to No 1. I sense England did the same thing after the New Zealand tour in the spring. They have a pathway to follow: beat New Zealand at home, win against Australia home and away and get stuck in to India next summer. That will be their journey back to the top. This England side are great on a big stage. Look at India last winter: they rose to the challenge of making a piece of history. The really pressurised session in this series, on the final morning at Trent Bridge, they delivered. They are a team who know how to win big games. Now they have to do it regularly against the average sides. In New Zealand they were poor. They could not play to the level we are used to seeing and it is performing away from the bright lights against the poorer teams that England still have to crack. To be No 1 you have to beat everyone and not just win the showpiece series. They need to get themselves up for matches that do not grab the attention like an Ashes or India away. Luckily, over the next year and a half they really only have big series so I expect them to play well. When the West Indies dominated, it was down to fast bowling and Australia were great for 20 years because of Shane Warne. He made them into a brilliant side. He could bowl teams out on any pitch, on any day. He had belief and energy as well as the enthusiasm, commitment and passion to play against any team in any conditions. He had an "in your face attitude" every time. Graeme Swann is not Warne but he is the reason why England are so competitive. There is talk of James Anderson being great, and he is up there with the best, but a team without a top-class spinner can only achieve so much. To reach the top, however, the batting has to improve. They need to stand up when the ball moves around or spins sharp. England have still not managed 400 in an innings during this series. Can they regularly deliver scores of 400 like the old Australian side used to do? They have the batting talent to do it. England will play the same team with Kevin Pietersen fit and raring to make an impression on this series. His record is not great at Old Trafford. He averages just over 30, with a top score of 68 but this is the one match in which you expect him to do something amazing to win the Ashes. Kevin is always at his best when he pays the opposition bowling respect and works hard for his runs at the start of an innings. He plays straight rather than bludgeoning runs. At the moment he is playing shots from ball one and getting out. These Australian seamers are good and deserve respect. KP makes big scores when he plays long innings. He gives himself a good base, then he explodes. He has to give himself that bit of time. Do not gift the wicket away. Australia will bowl straight at him because they believe he is an lbw candidate so he will have plenty of opportunity to score runs. He does not need to chase the ball outside off-stump. A great KP innings would be the perfect way to christen the new Old Trafford. The ground looks fantastic and Lancashire deserve credit. Cricket in the north is booming and it would be a nice welcome back to Test cricket for Old Trafford if England win the Ashes over the next few days. For Alastair Cook his job this week is simple. You do not need to make big speeches in the middle of a series. His message will be that there is no better week to win the Ashes. Do not wait for it. Do not think at 2-0 up we have three chances to win the series. I expect this team to stand up and perform at a ground where they like playing. It is a great atmosphere at Old Trafford. You tend to get a football-style crowd up north and it will be a different environment to Lord's. I expect England to revel in it and be 3-0 up by Sunday or Monday.