While Westminster politicos, including Boris Johnson ally and sports minister Nigel Adams, lined up for selfies with Smith and other members of the team, more than a few cricketers were spotted requesting selfies with the former prime minister and cricket-tragic.

Mr Howard told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the team had got off to a fantastic start and also singled out Smith's two tons.

"Given that they were eight for 126 at one stage, that was an extraordinary recovery, and it had a lot of great performances and Steve Smith was amazing and Nathan Lyon was amazing but like everything, it's a team effort," Mr Howard said.

"The Englishmen are not going to lie down and die, they'll fight back," he said.

Loading

Captain Tim Paine agreed: "As a team we're here trying to make history - to become the first Australian men's team to win a series in this country in over 18 years."

"We've made a great start by winning at Edgbaston last week but that's all it is - a start. Edgbaston was a terrific advertisement for test cricket and the way we want to play the game as a team, tough but fair, with smiles on our faces, enjoying each other's company and the fact that we're living the dream of being on an Ashes tour."

Former Howard government cabinet ministers joined in the praise of the team, which is still putting the cheating scandal behind it.

Loading

"We congregate here with great enthusiasm just to touch the coats of our cricketers and we're hugely proud of them - they did a wonderful job at Edgbaston. So we hope for the best for them at Lord's, we'll all be there," said Alexander Downer, former foreign minister and Brandis' predecessor at Australia House.

"Australia's looking forward to another great team and another great victory. And you can see the whole country is behind them," added former treasurer Costello.

Normally Cricket Australia will volunteer a few of its players for Britain's elite to meet and greet but as it struggles to win back public trust after the scandal last year, for the first time it made the entire team available to the Australian high commission.

Comedian Adam Hills, British Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott, former high commissioner to Australia Menna Rawlings and the Conservative Party's deputy chairman Paul Scully, as well as the high commissioners in the UK of the cricketing countries were among those in attendance.