Day One - Sunday, 24 June

Sitting on the team coach the bumpy motorway means it is a little difficult strumming the keys on my laptop, but as far as I am concerned this is the only downside to my first official day of the 2001 Ashes tour.

There is no doubt the success of the one-day team over the last few weeks will have an impact on the Ashes campaign Justin Langer

Although London has been my home since Tuesday, today is the first time I have been on the team bus with the guys who I hope to retain the Ashes with.

Since arriving in town Simon Katich, Colin Miller, Michael Slater and yours truly have been staying in a separate hotel from the triumphant one-day team.

The reason behind this was two-fold.

Firstly, it allowed us to acclimatise and recover from the inevitable jet-lag syndrome, synonymous with the long flight from our homeports in Australia.

Secondly, and more importantly, it allowed the one-day team to stay focussed on their task of winning the NatWest one-day trophy, without any distractions from the incoming recruits from home.

I can't wait to get going

On both counts the move worked perfectly as we all feel refreshed and ready for Ashes action, while the one-day team played brilliantly yesterday at Lords to secure another piece of silverware for the ACB trophy cabinets.

Spending yesterday in the luxurious Lord's changing rooms was a heartening experience.

It is always a wonderful feeling being around a confident, focussed and ultimately victorious cricket team.

The guys played to a great game plan, which felt all too familiar from the World Cup final in 1999.

Beating Pakistan in the final was significant, not only for the NatWest trophy, but also for the outlook of the remainder of the summer.

There is no doubting one-day cricket is very different from Test cricket, but the confidence and momentum gained throughout the one-day series helps provide a platform that is as solid as granite leading into the eagerly awaited Ashes battle.

The NatWest Series went to plan

Rather than focussing on the poor showing from an inexperienced England team throughout the tournament, it is far more constructive for us to concentrate on this momentum and confidence in our bid to prepare for the Ashes.

When building a new house it is crucial to get the foundation right - or else the house will eventually fall down!

This is no different when preparing a successful cricket team. By getting a strong foundation in place you can then work on doing the little extra things right.

Our foundation relies on exciting talent, a disciplined work ethic, respected leadership, invaluable experience, and thanks to the last month, real confidence and momentum.

There is no doubt the success of the one-day team over the last few weeks will have an impact on the Ashes campaign.

This impetus looked unlikely two weeks ago when I received a 4:30am phone call from my Middlesex team-mates.

Brain's trust: Ben Hutton

Woken from my usual slumber at that time of the morning was a shock to the system, especially when I heard from a few of my drunken mates from the Lord's Tavern who predicted a dark summer for the Aussies.

"If we can beat you blokes, then England are going to give you a thrashing" was the sentiment echoed from the Middlesex brains trust led by David Nash and Ben Hutton.

How quickly things change, and while Middlesex CCC continue to go from strength to strength this summer, so to do the boys in green and gold.

The Ashes promises to be something special and I am feeling as excited as a kid at Disney as I look around at my team-mates who are pumped to be stepping on to the stage of every Australian and English cricketer's dream - The Ashes.

Bring it on!

From the coach on the way to Arundel.

JL