Preparation boosts Strauss

Andrew Strauss insists England have "left no stone unturned" in pursuit of their first Ashes victory in Australia for almost a quarter of a century.

Strauss will lead the country's bid to retain the urn they won last summer during the five-Test tour, which begins when the team leave London on Friday. England's last Ashes success Down Under came back in 1986-87 and they were infamously whitewashed 5-0 on their last tour four years ago.

"All I know is that I think we've prepared as well as we possibly can do in the time we've had available to us," said Strauss, citing the importance of the tourists' three first-class warm-up matches. "It's a huge challenge going to Australia and winning, and we've pretty much left no stone unturned in terms of making sure we hit the ground running out there."

He continued: "Ultimately, preparation only takes you so far; you've actually got to front up when it matters and win the crucial sessions.

"But I've got every confidence our players are going to do that.

"We've had a lot of success over the last 18 months, so confidence levels are very high. There's a feeling of relaxed excitement about what lies ahead.

"I think we've got an excellent chance of winning out there; we're a good, nice, tight unit.

"We pretty much know what to expect, I think, and can't wait to get out there."