England have found an unlikely inspiration heading into this summer's Ashes series - their former tormentor Mitchell Johnson.
Johnson tore England to shreds when Australia whitewashed the old enemy 5-0 on home soil four years ago.
The 35-year-old snared an astonishing 37 wickets at an average of 13.97 during that series, with England's batsmen simply unable to handle his pace and swing in Australian conditions.
Johnson is now retired from Test cricket, but England will still have plenty of worries this summer trying to deal with another Australian left-arm pace ace - Mitchell Starc.
Starc took a career-best Sheffield Shield haul of 8-73 to lead NSW to victory over South Australia on Sunday.
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If Starc can stay injury free this summer, he has the potential to cause the same type of damage to England that Johnson did four years ago.
But if England captain Joe Root was worried, he certainly wasn't showing it.
In fact, Root is urging his team to use Johnson's Ashes heroics as an inspiration.
"It was obviously an unbelievable series that Mitchell Johnson had last time around," Root said.
"To win an Ashes series, you need guys to step up and do that.
"And that's the challenge for our guys - you've got an opportunity to do something really special here in Australia.
"He's a good example of how to approach an Ashes series. He used what he had - all of his skills to his best advantage.
"We have to look to have a similar approach, whether it's batting or bowling."
Although James Pattinson will miss the Ashes with a career-threatening back injury, Australia's pace stocks are viewed as a major weapon.
Starc is set to join forces with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to form a formidable pace battery, with others like Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jackson Bird also in the selection frame.
If star England allrounder Ben Stokes misses part or all of the series, it would give Australia a huge advantage.
Stokes' immediate future remains up in the air while police investigate the 26-year-old's involvement in an alleged violent incident outside a Bristol nightclub last month.
Former Australia Test captain Steve Waugh is among those who predict England will lose the series if Stokes doesn't play.
But Root believes otherwise.
"One thing that does is drives us and motivates us to prove them wrong," Root said of the doubters.
"We've got three of England's best all-time players with Cooky (Alastair Cook), Jimmy (Anderson), and (Stuart) Broady, and then we've got some guys who have really stood up over the last couple of years.
"My personal goal is to win the Ashes."
