In the space of a six-over spell in the opening one-dayer against New Zealand in Auckland, Brett Lee has perhaps guaranteed that Australia will retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
In a blistering display, he ripped the heart out of the Kiwis' top order.
With the radar gun regularly hitting speeds in the mid-150km/h bracket, Lee's opening salvo of six overs netted figures of 3 for 5.
And of those five runs, three were wides.
His performance will play deeply in the minds of the New Zealanders when the teams reconvene in Wellington on Wednesday.
It was an electric performance that helped demolish the New Zealand innings, which at one stage collapsed to be 6 for 33.
There were more than 22 overs still to be bowled when they were dismissed for 105, handing Australia a 147-run victory.
The Kiwis may have contributed to their own demise as a result of what they witnessed earlier in the day.
Both Kyle Mills and Chris Cairns, bowling from the commentary box end, regularly found a spot just outside off-stump on the drop-in pitch that provided alarming bounce.
No doubt, even then, as they relished the Australian batsmen's discomfort, they were fearful of how Lee would get the ball to react.
When it was their turn to bat, there was little keenness to get in behind the ball.
Lee's devastating spell smoothed the way for the other bowlers.
In his second one-day appearance, Stuart Clark captured 3 for 19 from seven overs, while Nathan Bracken and Andrew Symonds each claimed two wickets.
In all, it was a highly professional showing from the Australian team, in which six of the 12 had played 20 or less one-day internationals, including Brad Hodge, who was on debut.
While the Black Caps showed little with the bat, they were more effective with the ball.
After Adam Gilchrist (3) went early, Ricky Ponting (63) and Simon Katich (54) put on 117 at a run-a-ball for the second wicket.
After 30 overs, Australia was 4 for 149, with a score of 280-plus in the offing.
But, to their credit, the Kiwis restricted that total to 8 for 252.
They were aided at one point when Symonds and Michael Clarke came together.
It appeared that neither was willing to take too many risks and hand the other a chance to further their selection prospects for the opening Test against South in a few weeks.
As a result, their normally free-flowing games were stunted.
Clarke's 31 came from 49 balls, while Symonds' 44 absorbed 59 balls - both considerably down on their career strike rates.
But in the end, a target of 253 proved way out of reach for the home side.
Their early collapse unfortunately fuelled another burst of unrest from the Eden Park crowd.
Play was halted three times as a result of ground invasions.
On several other occasions, Ponting complained to the umpires about missiles that were being thrown onto the ground form patrons in the terraces.
- GLENN MITCHELL