It's a sentiment shared by his all-conquering squad ahead of Thursday's series opening T20 in Adelaide, and by a touring England side which has endured a build up like no other ahead of the first Ashes in two and a half years.

For Australia, the next three weeks is about retaining the urn they have held since 2015 while preparing for the March World Cup in New Zealand.

England is not only trying to win the series on foreign soil, which they last did in 2014, but must also assume the unenviable role of restoring a national pride so brutally eviscerated during this summer's lopsided men's Ashes.

Collectively, Australia and England can play a substantial role in catapulting the women's game back to the forefront of their respective national psyches after two years spent blanketed by an oppressive COVID fog.

Variant Omicron has already reared its head on this tour after an English staffer tested positive in Canberra last week.

But the England players have been declared "COVID-secure" after arriving in Adelaide, and Australia's squad is also safe on that front after the arrival of star all-rounder Ellyse Perry who overcame the virus earlier this month.

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England captain Heather Knight last week described her side's preparation for the Ashes as "comical", and if anything that was probably a fraction generous.

For starters, the entire squad was required to home isolate for two weeks prior to leaving England, meaning family members and housemates were enlisted to help feed bowling machines and front up to backyard net bowling.

Upon arrival to their Canberra base, English training sessions were then hampered by persistent rain leaving them dangerously short handed heading into Thursday's series opener.

But what they're lacking in preparation, is made up for in experience.

Captain Knight is one of her country's greatest ever exponents of the willow, Nat Sciver and Tammy Beaumont are long-time fixtures in the national team across all three formats.

Meanwhile, veteran quick Katherine Brunt and 2017 World Cup hero Anya Shrubsole will spearhead an English attack tasked with containing Australia.

At the very least, this should be more competitive than the men's series.

Mott made another fascinating couple of comments earlier this week.

When asked about Perry, the coach said she was "probably the greatest player that's ever played the game of women's cricket", while suggesting in the same answer that she was no guarantee to be selected for the three T20s being played this week.

The 31-year-old has averaged less than 20 with the bat in T20s over the past two years, and selectors have been considering leaving her out of the shortest format fixtures, even in the wake of Beth Mooney's broken jaw suffered at training on Monday.

That potentially robs Adelaide Oval of witnessing the global superstar first hand, but shapes as superb news for Canberrans when next week's Test match rolls around at the batting paradise of Manuka Oval.

Perry has scored heavily against England in recent Ashes Test matches, including her near-perfect 213 not out at North Sydney Oval in 2017.

She's never scored a hundred at Manuka Oval, but has twice been left not out in the 90s at the venue. And a recent WNCL century suggests Perry is seeing them as well as ever this summer.

More runs await the classy all-rounder.

The very idea of not selecting Perry seemed preposterous just two years ago. But Australia's rich form for the past three years, which has delivered one-day and T20 World Cups among countless victories, has also helped nurture incredible depth in its batting and bowling stocks.

The squad is still built around the likes of Perry, captain Meg Lanning and her deputy Rachael Haynes, keeper Alyssa Healy, returning quick Megan Schutt and the ever reliable finger spinner Jess Jonassen.

Underneath that top tier is a younger group rapidly establish themselves as the future of Australian women's cricket - the likes of hard-hitting 24-year-old Ashleigh Gardner and her Indigenous teammate Hannah Darlington, South Australian all-rounder Tahlia McGrath, and emerging quicks Annabel Sutherland and Tayla Vlaeminck.

It's here where Australia potentially holds its biggest advantage over the touring English, who have lost decades of experience through retirements over the past three years.

The likes of Sarah Taylor, Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson and Jenny Gunn, all of who were a part of England's 2017 World Cup winning campaign, have all moved on from international cricket.

WOMEN'S ASHES

Australia v England

T20: January 20 at Adelaide Oval

T20: January 22 at Adelaide Oval

T20: January 23 at Adelaide Oval

Test: January 27-30 at Manuka Oval

ODI: Feb 3 at Manuka Oval

ODI: Feb 6 at Junction Oval

ODI: Feb 8 at Junction Oval