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Kevin Pietersen believes his Achilles injury is almost completely healed and warned the Australians to expect him in top condition for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff.
With the series opener only 12 days away, England supporters were anxious about the fitness of their team's best batsman, who admitted he was only at "70 per cent" during the World Twenty20 because of the injury.
But KP dashed any lingering hopes the Aussies may have had that he would miss the showdown at the SWALEC Stadium by claiming he has made huge strides since England were knocked out of the World Twenty20 on 15 June.
"I'm doing everything pain-free," said Pietersen, whom the Aussies regard as England's prize wicket. "I'm waking up every morning feeling absolutely fine.
"The improvements have been huge and I've made sure my rehabilitation programme has been done well every day. I have been as professional as I can during the programme.
"I've been able to do all the exercises, routines and drills without feeling any pain. I've been skipping for minutes on end, which is a huge contrast to how I was before the Netherlands game [in the World Twenty20 on 5 June]. Then, I couldn't even walk down the stairs in my house."
The Achilles injury ruled Pietersen out of the three-match NatWest one-day series against West Indies, as well as ensuring he missed the shock defeat by the Netherlands.
For a man used to being an integral part of England's batting line-up in every form of the game, Pietersen admitted he had struggled to come to terms with being on the sidelines.
"I never thought my Ashes chances were finished but I didn't enjoy it," he said.
"It's the first injury I've had in international cricket that's kept me out of a series and left me not knowing when I could play again.
"Needing to go through the full rehab process was not something I really enjoyed. It's one of the hardest things I've had to deal with."
Despite his obvious optimism, Pietersen made it clear he had no intention of taking part in such a huge series with any doubts over his fitness.
In the past, England players - notably Andrew Flintoff - have missed several games due to on-going injury concerns and Pietersen is desperate not to become involved in a similar long-running saga.
The 28-year-old added: "I have made sure that I don't go into an Ashes series with an injury.
I've seen too many big players go into a Test series injured and they've come out the other end worse, particularly if they've been playing against Australia.
"You wouldn't last the series if you went into it with an injury. For the mental side of things, being fully fit is very important."
England's possible starting XI for the first Test will gather at Edgbaston on Monday to prepare for a three-day warm-up match against Warwickshire, which begins on 1 July, with Pietersen adding: "I will start to think about Australia next week.
"I've seen some of the highlights of their tour match against Sussex on TV and I'll start to get myself really tuned in on Monday, when we meet up."
Since his sacking as captain in January, Pietersen has had the luxury of being able to return to the ranks and concentrate on his own game.
For captain Andrew Strauss, however, the Ashes will have been at the forefront of his mind since he took the job at the beginning of the year.
Strauss's men regained the Wisden Trophy from the West Indies in May after losing in the Caribbean earlier in the year but the arrival of the Aussies has always been the focus of the summer.
If England are to regain the little Urn, it is vital that their experienced players like Pietersen are fit and firing - especially as the Australians remain the kings of "sledging", and Strauss expects every one of his players to suffer abuse, despite claims today that the Aussies have been told by Cricket Australia to cut it out.
He said: "All 11 of us will be targeted. In an Ashes series, it's all about standing up and being counted and all of us will have to do that.
We have done some work on their batsmen and hopefully there are some weaknesses there which we can exploit.
Yet the main debate centres around whether England will play with two spinners on a Cardiff wicket which is likely to turn.
Monty Panesar and Adil Rashid are the contenders to play alongside Graeme Swann in that role. "If you look at the results from Cardiff, spin has played a big part," Strauss added.
