Ian Bell admits he is eyeing an England return and has targeted making Ashes history.
Bell, who has 118 Test caps, has not played for his country since failing to score in the second Test against Pakistan in November 2015, just a few months after winning his fifth Ashes series.
England, under new captain Joe Root, face Australia in Brisbane in November in the first Test of the 2017-18 tour.
Ian Botham and Wilfred Rhodes are the only other Englishmen to have won fives Ashes series and Bell wants to top them if he can earn a recall.
"I've been lucky enough to win five Ashes, no one has ever won six so there's always a carrot for me if I was lucky enough to get into that squad," he said.
"There's no doubt, on an individual level, to be part of a squad which wins six would be something pretty special.
"You always think about it. I still have ambitions to play for England. I enjoyed playing in the Big Bash which was as close to playing international cricket without playing for England."
Bell scored three centuries in the home 2013 Ashes series before England slumped to a 5-0 defeat in Australia a few months later. He conceded his 18 months away from the international scene has helped him.
"Initially having been left out I didn't know what to do going forward. Having a bit of time away from it I realise I really have missed it," said the 34-year-old, who has scored 7727 Test runs.
"I'd been on the road a long time and I look back on whether I should have taken a break after the Ashes and had six months away from it. I don't know if that would have been the right move or not.
"I didn't want to take an easy option, I wanted to fight my way through. I won't be the only one with ambitions to get into that England team."
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