Shaun Tait has the backing of a legend © Getty Images

Dennis Lillee has called for the debut of Shaun Tait as he voiced fears the current side were losing their grip on the Ashes, with the teams going into Thursday's fourth Test with the series level at 1-1.

Lillee, who took 167 wickets in 29 Ashes Tests from 1970 to 1983, said Australia were a team in decline with a number of players reaching the end of their careers together. "England are on top while Ricky Ponting's side are on a downhill run, coming towards the end of an extraordinary time when they have conquered everything in their path for many years," Lillee told The Mail on Sunday.

"This is a very good England side playing against a team containing some players reaching their sell-by date," said Lillee, whose tally of 355 Test wickets was a then-world record until beaten by Ian Botham in 1986.

Lillee was particularly impressed by the "best England attack I've seen for years", highlighting the fact that in Stephen Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones the hosts have three men capable of bowling at over 90mph. "The pace of England's bowling has exposed technical problems caused by advancing years and playing against some mediocre attacks in recent times," Lillee said.

"Openers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden are 34 and 33 respectively. Damien Martyn is 33, Adam Gilchrist 33 and Simon Katich is 30 today [Sunday]. Batsmen cannot escape the problems caused by anno domini. That lack of sharpness is never more exposed than by a pace attack such as the blindingly quick one England have deployed."

Lillee said Tait should be included for the fourth Test at the expense of Jason Gillespie, who said his place was under threat after taking just three wickets at an average of 100 apiece in the opening three matches. "Now is the hour for the Australia selectors to pick Tait, the fast bowler I believe should have been thrown into this series from the first Test.

"Picking the 22-year-old bowler from South Australia is no risk. He has all the resources in his armoury to stick the ball right up the noses of the England batsmen, as Brett Lee has done so effectively in taking 15 wickets in the first three Tests." Tait's inclusion would also help reduce the age of an Australia side where 24-year-old batsman Michael Clarke is the current outstanding young player.

"We are seeing one of the greatest contests of all time," Lillee said. "But what concerns me is that I am not sure we have the resources to maintain our standards when this side breaks up. This team has been together so long that a generation of players who could have played for Australia have been skipped. I don't see too many Michael Clarkes in the wings. I hope I'm wrong but I'll settle for Shaun Tait's promotion for now."