Former Australian Test cricket captain Ian Chappell has taken a swing at Ashes administrators over the series' scheduling, with the first ball to be bowled on Friday night (AEST).
The first Test will be played at Edgbaston from June 16, with the fifth and last Test starting on July 27 at The Oval.
Overall, ?both sides could play 25 days of cricket in 46 days.
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?Chappell is not hiding his dissatisfaction at the decision.
"It's ridiculous, the schedule, I mean the schedule's been ridiculous for a long time but that is stupidity," he said on Wide World of Sports' Outside the Rope.
"There's not a Test played in August so that tells you how quickly they're playing them.
"It's a nightmare for all players, both physically and mentally, particularly the fast bowlers and I don't think there's any way in the world that either side is going to get through five Tests using the same bowling players all the way.
"I think the extra players are going to come in handy and that's one thing that'll probably suit Australia."
Australia's depth in the fast bowling ranks ?is a major advantage, with quicks Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, and spinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy forming a bowling squad while Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh are the all-rounders. Michael Neser has also been in England playing county cricket and was in the World Test Championship squad.
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Former Test spinner Steve O'Keefe admitted he wouldn't like to see Australia return to the days of a rotation policy made famous by former high-performance manager Pat Howard but doesn't expect to see bowlers from both sides get through five Tests. ?
"I'd like to think not ?but I do agree with Ian that the scheduling is pretty poor and it's going to be a big ask," he said.
"Mark Wood, he played four Tests in Australia and he even said himself that he felt exhausted after playing that - I mean I'm not sure why, some of those Tests ended in three days, particularly the one in Hobart so I'm not sure what he was carrying on about there.
"I think the locks for Australia will be Cummins and Lyon, Cummins it's going to be a big ask for him to play five but I think he's prepared - listening to his commentary before this Test series he said I'd like to come in under prepared (rather) than over prepared."
O'Keefe added the different preparation from players will be a positive for the side.
"A couple of batters have had some nice hits, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have had a nice lead-in playing some county cricket and the rest of them had a soft lead in playing a bit of golf, playing a bit of cricket, and have eased their way into it but all in all I think they're well prepared."
One of the major question marks around the Australian bowling line-up will be who they choose out of Boland and Hazlewood.
Boland starred for Australia in its World Test Championship victory while Hazlewood continues to ?struggle with injury. O'Keefe said Boland is the "irresistible pick".
"He makes the basics look so easy and effortless, although there is a lot of magic behind what he does, he can move the ball subtly each way and I think the way he set up Virat Kohli in the (WTC final) match showed his class.
"Josh Hazlewood, I mean he's taken 200 Test wickets and he's a great guy to fall back onto but over the last two years due to injuries he's only played four Tests, so I think they want to go into this first test making a statement, I think they go with Boland but I do think there will be some rotation through this series."
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