More so than any other batsman in the Australian squad, Michael Hussey will be hungry for runs when Australia plays Sussex in its first tour match in England next week.
It would be inaccurate to say the torrent of runs which raged off Hussey's bat after his Test debut in 2005 had slowed to a trickle in the past eight months but the flow is far from steady.
Although still boasting a career mark in the mid 50s, Hussey has averaged less than 40 in his past three series against New Zealand and South Africa.
In the 21 innings since his most recent Test century in October last year, Hussey has averaged a modest 28.5.
As unfathomable as it once would have been to see Hussey dropped from Australia's Test XI, the batsman himself now admits he does not feel his berth in the side is secure.
"I hope I'm safe but I don't think anyone can rest on their laurels," Hussey said.
But it's not so much being dropped which Hussey fears most.
As lively as Australia's bowlers - who are in a frantic battle for the three vacant positions in the attack - have been in the nets, it's no substitution for time in the middle.
He is also expecting few favours in Hove, where he believes the wicket will be slow.
"Stroke-making will be quite hard, particularly early," Hussey said.
Considering that, a big score will reassure Hussey that he is mentally ready to face the best England's bowlers can throw at him in the first Test in Cardiff.
"The guys have been steaming in, you can tell there's a few guys shooting out for a fast bowling place in particular, which hasn't made it much fun for the batsmen," Hussey said.
"For my own self-confidence and own preparation coming into the Test I would like to really get a couple of good scores under my belt."
"Just so I can go into that first Test with some confidence under my belt after not having played for a quite a while and also not performing as well as I would have liked in the last couple of series."
Hussey admitted he has never been under more pressure in his career, not due to his lack of runs but because he is on the verge of realising a childhood dream - playing an Ashes Test in England.
The idea of a rest day - which Australia has had two since last Tuesday in a program tailored to have the squad fresh for a tour lasting more than three months - also has Hussey feeling uneasy.
Nicknamed Mr Cricket for his love of all things cricket, including training, Hussey is a player who feels more comfortable going back and across then lying on his back.
"For someone like myself, I'm wanting to do more at this stage of the season," he said.
"I haven't played a lot and I haven't trained as much as I would have liked so I'm wanting to hit balls every single day but the coaches are holding us back as long as we can."
"And I'm sure we'll get a lot done over the next two weeks with the two first-class games and practice around that."
"For me, I'm not enjoying having days off but it's probably the right thing to do."
