He's famous for his exuberance when he's successful, but Brett Lee's favourite moment in a Test match was in defeat.
It hurt like hell at the time, but Lee now cherishes the day Australia lost the second Test at Edgbaston last year.
He'd sweated blood for his country in a gut-wrenching last-wicket stand of 59 with Michael Kasprowicz only to fall short by two runs — the closest margin in Ashes history.
That moment turned a 15-year tide of Australian dominance over England, and it also turned Lee's understanding of why he plays the game.
When he's in his slippers telling his grandkids about his time as an Australian fast bowler, he'll be recounting the story of how he once nearly won a Test against England with his bat, and how the great all-rounder Andrew Flintoff consoled him with an arm around the shoulder.
"Although we lost the Test it's pretty hard to go past that," Lee recalled yesterday.
"It's probably the most exciting Test I've ever played in. To get so close and then have Freddie come and console me, put his arm round me and say what a fantastic match it was; to me that's what the Ashes is all about.
"That's got to go down as my favourite Test match although Australia didn't even win."
The moment is to be part of an exhibition of Ashes memorabilia which will tour Australia this summer.
The centrepiece is the urn itself, which has only briefly been to Australia once before (for the Bicentenary in 1988) and has left its glass case at Lord's on only one other occasion.
Lee has loaned the exhibition a painting of the moment, signed by both players.
Copies of the painting have pride of place in the homes of both Lee and Flintoff, who will captain England in this series.
"To me it proves you don't have to take five-for or win a game for Australia to be playing in a fantastic game of cricket," Lee said.
"The way that we fought back. The way we bowled in the second innings, the way that we chased down those runs and got so close when we really didn't deserve to get so close to them.
"I'd like to hope people will remember it and talk about it in a hundred years' time."