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

Strauss will lead his country's bid to retain the urn they won last summer during the five-Test tour which begins when the team leave London tomorrow.

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.

That trip was plagued by various problems and Strauss believes preparations for the upcoming tour could hardly have been more thorough.

"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," he said, citing the importance of the tourists' three first-class warm-up matches.

"We've been thinking about this Ashes series for a long time now.

"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.

"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."

He added: "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."

Strauss believes only victory will bury the ghosts of four years ago.

"The only time that 5-0 loss will be wiped out of the record books is if we go out there and win this time," he said, admitting he did feel a "burden of responsibility" leading the side.

He added: "Those of us who were on that tour last time realise what a tough place it is to tour.

"But we also realise what an amazing thing it would be to go out there and win."

The first Test in Brisbane is still almost a month away but the mind games have already begun, with Australia captain Ricky Ponting recently questioning the form of Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood.

"Ultimately, we'll all be targeted," said Strauss, who believes England need to "get on top" of Ponting, who he dubbed Australia's "great player".

"There'll be a lot of probing for weaknesses and players are going to have to stand up individually and collectively.

"We don't like the idea of getting caught up in a war of words with the Australian team.

"You can spend hours trying to think up witty retorts to comments or you can spend hours trying to concentrate on getting your game in order."

Yet, Strauss is not against a bit of banter and he enjoyed learning Ponting and Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke had their images projected on to Big Ben last night with a message reminding Strauss not to forget to bring the urn Down Under.

"I think it is the fun and games of the Ashes," the 33-year-old said.

"That's the great thing about this Ashes series: Australians and English people, they get down and support their countries.

"There's a bit of mischievous stuff going on here and there. The series doesn't need building up but the banter there helps to create a really unique atmosphere."

That will not extend to taunting the home side about the fact England are now above them in the world rankings.

"When you're facing the first ball at Brisbane you're not saying, 'We're above you and we're going to beat you here'," said Strauss.

"It's irrelevant. They're a very strong side at home."