Despite missing the swing this summer, all Mitchell Starc needed to do in Canberra was bowl the quickest of his Test career.
For the first time in his 51-Test career, Starc's average speed for the match against Sri Lanka clocked in at 151.3km/h.
It was the first time he had averaged more than 150km/h during a Test.
Cranking up the pace led to Starc capturing the second 10-wicket match haul of his career and claiming man-of-the-match honours.
He backed up a five-wicket haul in the first innings with 5-46 in Sri Lanka's second dig to finish with match figures of 10-100 as Australia won by 366 runs on Monday at Manuka Oval.
Starc went into the match under pressure to hand over the new ball to Pat Cummins after a series of wayward and lacklustre performances.
He said he tried to go back to basics after struggling for rhythm during the first Test at the Gabba where he picked up only two wickets.
"I just tried to forget everything this week and bowl as fast as I could," Starc said.
"I started to slow down towards the end, but it has been a great week for the group."
Starc's form was widely criticised after he took 12 wickets at an average of 34.53 during the 2-1 series loss to India.
Shane Warne, a long-time critic of Starc's, said before the Test that it would be a "waste" if Australia played the left-armer in Canberra.
But Australian captain Tim Paine said Starc stayed positive during his lean spell, which set a good example for younger players in the team.
"The way they (Starc and Usman Khawaja) went about it at training and the way they led our group in terms of effort and how you prepare to play Test cricket was great for them to see," Paine told reporters.
