Whether it's because this might be the last dance or simply an understandable desire for redemption, Ricky Ponting's bid to reclaim the Ashes this summer burns bright.

Ponting's determination to again take hold of cricket's famous little urn, well, at least a replica of it, was highlighted when he recently fronted the Cricket Australia board and outlined his meticulous plans for the summer, backpagelead.com.au has been told.

Wary of the off-field distractions his players face in what promises to he a hectic and demanding campaign, Ponting's influence is one reason why Cricket Australia has begun a two-day Ashes workshop at its headquarters in Melbourne on Monday.

It's understood Ponting's attention to detail in that meeting impressed the CA board, which has watched him grow into a well-rounded and almost stately figure through the years.

The gathering this week will involve the likes of Ponting, vice-captain Michael Clarke, coach Tim Nielsen, management and staff.

CA public affairs manager Peter Young said Ponting's focus on the Ashes was clear.

‘‘Ricky talked in quite a lot of detail about his singular focus on Ashes preparation,'' Young told BPL.

‘‘He went through his thinking (to the board) in terms of preparation, planning and wanting to clear the decks so the group could have a singular focus on it, and rolling out the four in a row (winning) objective with the World Cup.''

The workshop will help all parties to ‘‘diarise'' their off-field plans and obligations - namely sponsorship deals - to ensure nothing encroaches on their on-field commitment come November.

‘‘There are a lot of obligations that the players sign up for, that they want as much clarity as possible so those commitments can be calendarised early on,'' Young said.

There is also expected to be discussion about Australia's World Cup plans, particularly now CA has scrapped the traditional 50-overs format at domestic level and replaced it with a split innings format of 20 and 25 overs.

Ponting, now in his 16th year of international cricket, has been part of many marquee tours or home series, and understands what can happen when players try and do too much.

For instance, Australia's epic, yet ultimately, losing campaign in India in 2001 was felt by some to have been hampered by players chasing lucrative off-field sponsorship deals mid-tour rather than focusing on runs and wickets.

This summer looms as Ponting's last Ashes campaign, for a return trip to England in 2013, when he would be just months away from turning 39, appears a road too far.

Understandably, he wants to make amends for twice losing the Ashes on English soil, and desperately does not want to become the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986-87 to be beaten on home shores by the Old Enemy.

As previously discussed by backpagelead.com.au, Ponting's manager James Henderson has denied speculation he could even retire from Test cricket after this summer's campaign, and perhaps finish his career at the World Cup on the sub-continent.

Ponting's attention to Ashes detail, however, suggests this remains a possibility.

It also shows Australia realises Andrew Strauss' men loom as a major threat, unlike the rabble of a squad that arrived here four years ago under Andrew Flintoff.