Former Pakistan cricket great Imran Khan said he doubted England would ever emulate Australia's success and become the world's top team because it lacked a quality spinner like Shane Warne.

"England is a young emerging side and exudes the confidence of Australia but for them to emulate Australia-like success is difficult because they do not have a spinner of Warne's quality," Khan told AFP.

Michael Vaughan's team closed the gap on world champion Australia when it regained the Ashes with a 2-1 victory on Monday, England's first Ashes series win over Australia since 1986-87.

But left-arm spinner Ashley Giles was hardly dominant, taking 10 wickets at 57.80 for England.

Khan praised Vaughan and allrounder Andrew Flintoff for their roles in England's success.

"Flintoff is the pivot around which the England team revolves. He is a genuine allrounder," he said.

"England has a very determined sort of character as captain, quite unpretentious," he added of Vaughan.

Following the conquest of Australia, Vaughan said his side would only achieve the top rating if it beat Pakistan in the November-December series and India early next year.

But Khan, who took 362 wickets in 88 Tests and led Pakistan to its first series win over England in 1987, said England would struggle on the sub-continent's slow pitches.

"They have a fast-maturing pace attack but when they come up on wickets which do not have support for pace then they do not have the variety like Warne provides," Khan said.

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