Brett Lee was physically and mentally exhausted four months ago.
He trudged off the ground at Chittagong aching in every part of his body after bowling nearly 900 overs in 17 Tests and 23 ODIs crammed into nine months.
Now, newly married, rested up and bursting with energy, he is primed for the series of his life.
"I'm pumped for it. One hundred days to go - I can't wait to get the ball in my hands," Lee said after inserting a knife into a mud-cake replica of the urn he and his team mates hope to retrieve from England this summer.
Lee turns 30 a fortnight before the first Test at the Gabba and says he's hoping to bowl faster than he ever has.
"They reckon a fast bowler doesn't reach maturity until he's 30. So the way I look at it there's no reason why I can't get faster and faster."
Lee came into the side for the Boxing Day Test against India in 1999 and took 5-47 in his first innings as a Test bowler.
It remained his best figures in Test cricket until he topped it in the corresponding Gabba match against the West Indies last season.
It took him a while to learn that there's more to being a fast bowler than just bowling fast.
"You do have to realise that fast bowling doesn't always take wickets. You can bowl fast and pick up the odd wicket by scaring a batsman, but Test batsmen don't get scared any more and you've got to really work a batsman out.
"I have changed my game. I think it comes from being a bit more of a mature person and a mature bowler as well.
"I've learnt what hasn't worked and I've learned what has worked, and you've got to try and do the stuff that has worked more often than not if you want to be successful."
Lee begins fine-tuning his preparation this week when he has his first session with Australia's new fast bowling coach Troy Cooley.
Tasmanian-born Cooley, now back in the home fold after his brilliant work with Steve Harmison, Andrew Flintoff and the other England fast bowlers, says his early sessions with Lee will be information sharing, rather than anything radical.
"We'll talk about workload ... how he's going and his buildup for the next couple of series," Cooley told AAP.
"It's up to Brett to work out what he wants to do, where he wants to go and then we start to build a relationship from there."
Cooley, who has already begun hands-on work with Glenn McGrath, will run his eye over Lee's action, but his first task will be to see that he's doing the basics right with fitness and strength work.
"He's had a really good break now, so it's a matter of making sure that he's ready to go, trying to tick all those boxes off and make sure he's training in the right direction."
Cooley says he will talk to Lee about his development from a pure express bowler to one with the control required to lead an attack if necessary.
"As the out-and-out quicks mature and their experience grows they tend to develop those characteristics," Cooley said.
"We'll sit down and discuss how he wants to move forward. Hopefully with another set of eyes we'll be able to make sure that he gets there as quick as he can."