Australian captain Michael Clarke insists his side's sole focus is on winning next month's Champions Trophy tournament but concedes victory in the one-day tournament would be the perfect Ashes build up.
Clarke and his squad left for England on Sunday night ahead of an arduous four-month campaign including the Champions Trophy, five Ashes Tests, a one-day series and two T20 matches.
While Clarke understands the Ashes will dominate talk in both the UK and Australia over the next seven weeks, he is adamant the players' focus won't turn to the first Test starting on July 10 until after the Champions Trophy in late June.
"I think obviously the build-up and the talk is going to be about the Ashes but for us as a team we're very focused on the Champions Trophy," Clarke said at Sydney Airport on Sunday evening.
"As a player you get drilled into you over a number of years to stay focused on what's in front of you.
"We know where we sit as a one-day team at the moment and where we want to sit in 12 months as a one-day team, and this is the start of that journey.
"There's a lot of guys in our one-day squad that will take part in the Ashes but we've got a goal in regards to the Champions Trophy tournament that we want to have success and win this tournament.
"... The extra motivation is that if we can have success in this one-day tournament and drag that confidence and momentum into the first Test, I think that will be very handy."
Asked if he'll consider banning any Ashes talk within the squad, Clarke replied: "No not at all. You can run and hide as much as you like but it's going to be there.
"The media are going to write about it in England, our media's going to write about it and the public are interested.
"It's the pinnacle as an Australia cricketer to not only play Test cricket but to play in and Ashes series so there's going to be a lot of talk and a lot of speculation.
"But as a player it's also very easy to stay focussed on what's in front of you."
The skipper says he's never been more excited ahead of a tour in his illustrious career and admits some of the negativity surrounding his side's Ashes prospects is a major source of motivation for the side.
"I think the more people doubt you as an individual player and for me more importantly at a team, that inspires you to greatness," he said.
"We know we've got a lot of work to do to have success in both sections of this tour ... we know there's a lot of work to do and we've got to play some amazing cricket but I know all the players are up for the challenge."