Steve Waugh surprised by Australia's lack of energy

Former captain Steve Waugh has said Australia's lack of energy in the first Ashes Test in Cardiff and England's upbeat nature made it look "almost like we'd swapped our caps" from the 2013-14 series.

Australia dominated the 2013-14 Ashes to the point that they secured just the third five-nil whitewash in the storied history of the rivalry. However, the tables were emphatically turned in last week's series opening match of the five-Test series as England emerged convincing 169-run winners.

"England played very well, I was impressed. They seemed really together, working for each other, they played aggressively. I liked the look of some of their players, I like all-rounder Ben Stokes, I think he gives England some real energy and impetus," Waugh was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday.

The second Test begins at Lord's cricket ground on Thursday.

"From Australia's point of view, we'll play much better, there's no doubt about that, I think we'll come back at Lord's. We weren't at our best. We just seemed to lack a bit of energy for whatever reason in that first Test, which was unlike us."

"In fact, when I was watching, it was almost like we'd swapped our caps for that Test match. It looked like, not in a bad way, but (in comparison to) in the recent series in Australia, the way England played in Australia, it looked like that, but we'll turn it round for sure," the 50-year-old said.

Australian head into the second Test with injury and form concerns as they look to avoid slipping to a third straight Ashes defeat at Lord's.