England 'don't have as many scars' as in previous years as they head towards the Ashes, says spinner Charlie Dean.
Heather Knight's side are looking for their first Ashes win since 2014, having drawn a thrilling encounter in the summer of 2023 that included famous victories in both white-ball legs of the multi-format series.
Dean added that England will gain a lot of confidence from the effort when they go into their opening one-day international on Saturday, unlike the previous away tour in 2022 where they did not win a game.
“Going back to my last trip here, I was very new to the international scene and was very terrified at the prospect of playing for Australia,” Dean said.
“I don't know if the rest of the group did, but I felt that way a little bit. So I think this time we're a little more experienced.”
“We've lost a few players along the way, but we don't seem to have many scars in the group from the previous series. Great challenges bring opportunities for success, and the Ashes summer has given us a lot of positivity around us. What we know we can do.”
Both England and Australia are in good form going into the series, with the previous series victories over South Africa and India respectively following disappointing T20 World Cup campaigns in the autumn.
Dean also credited the growing number of cricket franchises around the world with helping to reduce the intimidation that comes with facing Australia on home soil, with players regularly switching from teammates to opponents between tournaments.
“This brings a very nice advantage, you can be a friend off the field, but when it comes down to it, the white line fever comes and you will do whatever it takes to win a match for your country,” she said.
“But it brings some familiarity, it's not scary anymore, and it's an interesting dynamic to balance.”
England's only warm-up match before the start of the series on 11 January (23:30 GMT) was interrupted by rain at North Sydney Oval, with just 28.2 bowled against the Australian Governor-General's XI.
The series consists of three One Day Internationals, three T20 matches and a four-day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
