Sydney, Oct 19 : English cricket captain Andrew Strauss has said that an Ashes series victory in Australia would be the career highlight for the current Test squad.

Strauss believes England is more excited than nervous as they count down to their departure for the highly anticipated series next month.

"We've really been targeting this series because an Ashes win in Australia can be a defining moment in your career," he told Sky Sports News.

"You never know how it's going to play out there, how difficult or easy it might be, but what you've got to do is be as prepared as possible, be prepared for anything," he said.

"When you're there there's a lot of off-field things to deal with, being away from home for a long time, but if you deal with that well, it gives you a good chance of playing well on the field," Strauss said.

Strauss feels England is better prepared than they were in 2006/07, when they were on the wrong end of a 5-0 thrashing, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"We're in a good place as a side. We've made a lot of improvement over the last 18 months or so. We're aware it''s a tough assignment going to Australia and winning; very tough. But we're in a good place to do it. We're quietly confident we can do it without being over-the-top arrogant,' he said.

"We need to play well out there, we need to be consistent and in the really crucial sessions we need to make sure we play well. But we're really excited and just ticking down the hours now," Strauss added. (ANI)