Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes the Twenty20 match against England could establish the pattern for success this Ashes tour.
Although the abbreviated game's primary focus is to entertain and generate more interest in cricket, the Australians are determined to start their Ashes defence on the right note.
"We take every game pretty seriously," Ponting said.
"If you looked back to the Twenty20 game we had in New Zealand we took that game seriously - it was a game we wanted to win and start the tour off on a good note over there and this will be exactly the same.
"There are some things to be achieved out of every game that we play leading into the Test series, so this one's just the start of that."
The Aussies donned retro tops and grew facial hair for the Twenty20 match against the Black Caps in Auckland in February, but there was no joke when play started - Ponting's side won by 44 runs and remained unbeaten for the rest of the tour.
Power hitter Andrew Symonds batted at No.3 that day and will almost certainly do the same at the Rose Bowl after he unleashed a furious assault on Leicestershire's bowlers in the 50-over match at the Grace Road ground.
Symonds clobbered an unbeaten 92 from just 59 balls with 10 fours and three sixes to help Australia pile on 4-321.
Such was his effectiveness with his eye in, he smashed a further 42 runs from 16 balls after he posted his half-century.
Australia won the match by 95 runs in a thorough hit-out before its first clash with England, which won the last time they met in a limited overs match, the semi-final of the Champions Trophy last September.
Ponting said Symonds was a good bet to bat at first drop, ahead of Ponting.
"This sort of game lends itself to the way Andrew plays and he's been very successful at this game at county level as well, so there's every chance that he'll find himself up the order somewhere."
The match has for days been billed as a major event by the English press because of Twenty20's popularity and because of the fireworks home sloggers Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff could produce.
Pietersen struck 77 as England also had an emphatic win over a county side - a 153-run win over Shane Warne's Hampshire in a 50-over match.
Warne's side did well to bowl England out for 238 inside 50 overs, but a hat-trick to England's Darren Gough (3-10) and 3-18 to Simon Jones wrecked any chance Hampshire had of producing a boilover.
The Hawks slumped to 7-20 and were eventually all out for 85.
If Symonds does bat at No.3 he could find himself batting with opener Matthew Hayden, whose impeccable touch produced Australia's first century (107) of the tour after making 79 in last Thursday's tour opener at Arundel.
Batsman Damien Martyn, who also showed good form with 85 and put on 136 for the fourth wicket with Symonds, also expected Australia to throw everything at England after such a long build-up.
"It will be good for each side to test each other out and there's always pride at stake, so we don't want to lose," he said.
- ADAM COOPER