Ashes Preparation is Ending, Time for the Main Event: England v Australia

The first day of a first Ashes Test is something special and both sets of players, young or old, must embrace it. Sure, the intensity is like no other game you will play but breathe it in. Ride that wave. (Also read: Can England avenge last summer's annihilation? | Starc promises no respite for England | Cardiff ready for harsh spotlight of 1st Ashes Test)

Because the training is out of the way, the team meetings have been held, the plans are place and finally the all pre-series talk in the media is replaced by the real thing: the cricket. (Must read: The X-Men of Ashes)

Motivation is irrelevant. If you need motivating before an Ashes Test - or any Test for that matter - then international cricket is not for you. You are not fit for purpose. Instead, the challenge is to remain calm but focused.

You may only get one day like this in your career, so try to remember every detail, relax and make sure you enjoy it. Everyone starts playing cricket purely for fun. And the first day of an Ashes Test is the best time to remember this. Enjoy yourself.

The Australian dressing room I was a part of was very good at keeping on an even keel. Our openers, Justin Langer and Matty Hayden, were a big part of this. Justin would sit there, headphones in, becalmed.

England team in practice ahead of Ashes 2015.

© AFP

Matty would be relaxed too but also slowly pumping himself up before heading out into the middle. Batting or bowling, the last thing he would say just as play was about to start was: "Let's have a good day, fellas."

Shane Warne was another to keep us chilled, walking around in his bike shorts and flip-flops, popping out for the odd cigarette and always with a soft drink in hand.

When you see one of your best players - the greatest leg-spinner to play the game, admittedly - looking like he is just relaxing at home, it spreads a good vibe throughout the group.

On the field, the first day of any Ashes series can affect the series as a whole but it does not have to define it. Take my first taste, for example. It was Edgbaston in 1997, where Andy Caddick and Darren Gough caught us cold and bowled us out for 118.

My overriding memories that day was the step up in pressure; copping it from a crowd like never before. I was a young player and this was like no other cricket I had experienced. But we reacted as a team and took that series 3-2.

The captain who wins the toss in Cardiff should have an easy call to make. Overthink it at your peril because it can send messages through to the opposition that are greater than just that single decision. Take Nasser Hussain at Brisbane in 2002, who famously elected to field.

The feeling among our side was England that were taking the cautious approach and I genuinely thought their batters didn't want to face Glenn McGrath and myself. It was an initial mental victory that ended up as a 4-1 series scoreline.

There are messages you can send out through body language too and the 2005 series is a prime example of this. Sure, we won that first Test at Lord's handsomely but we knew from watching England warm-up on that first morning we were in for a proper fight; this was a different beast altogether.

In the past, England had been a bit of a rabble, with different hats and sweaters, white and blue helmets, hands in pockets, walking out on to the field in dribs and drabs.

Things like sweaters and hats might sound irrelevant but they can betray a lack of unity. Ten years ago, under Michael Vaughan, I finally saw an England side finally operating as a team.

They were all in the same gear and they strode out to the middle with such purpose, the players right behind the umpires. They seemed to have an intent and an urgency about their approach and this translated into their cricket and ultimately a 2-1 win.

Aside from winning the toss and not sticking the opposition in on a flat one, as well as maintaining that calm environment in the dressing room, the captain's chief role on the morning of the first day is let his players know, individually and as a group, that he backs them all the way.

It is that kind of backing that Michael Clarke gave to Ryan Harris during his international career and he was repaid in wickets.

It was gutting to see Rhino forced to retire from the sport over the weekend after his knee trouble flared up again. While he may not have been in line for this first Test in Cardiff, I know he was down to play a key role in the series.

Clarke described him as his No1 pick bowler and someone who would run through brick walls for him. But Pup, as we call him, must take credit for that too, in bringing that level of commitment from his big fast bowler by empowering him.

Ryan and I played together at South Australia and I'm proud to call him a mate. He always had serious talent and skill. I remember when our captain Darren Lehmann, now the head coach of Australia, asked me to bowl into the wind so Rhino could have the breeze behind him. It felt like the torch was being passed and I had no problem with it.

His career probably didn't really kick off until he joined Queensland in 2008 though - that was when the penny really dropped.

He wasn't stagnating at South Australia but I think that new challenge freshened him up. To then watch a great mate go on and play international cricket - to live his dream - was so satisfying.

It may only have been 27 Tests, but 113 wickets at 23 apiece - the first quick to take a hundred having made his debut after the age of 30 - and that performance in the 2013-14 whitewash tells you all you need to know. Ryan was class and his absence from this series is a blow.

I know Ryan will be around the Australian team for a bit longer, though, and his experience can still be tapped. Clarke's side are favourites but this is an England team on the rise.

We could learn a lot from these initial exchanges on day one in Cardiff. Here's to a great series.