The English side may be settled, confident and full of form heading into the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on Thursday, but Alastair Cook is one man with a lot to prove.
With a highly respectable Test average in the low 40s, Cook has been a strong contributor since he burst into the English side as a 21-year-old back in 2006.
Yet, similar to his captain and opening partner, Andrew Strauss, his record against Australia remains a blemish.
The elegant left-hander has made it past 50 just twice in 10 matches against the baggy greens and he knows there are plenty who doubt his ability to stand-up against the Aussies, especially away from home.
"It's obviously something that I've got to prove to people. It's one side that I haven't done as well against as I have against other sides," he said.
"You can't hide behind the fact of that statistic, and hopefully over the next two months I can prove people wrong on that."
"It doesn't bring any more pressure to it, there's enough pressure walking out to open the batting in the Ashes series. I'm really looking forward to trying to get those runs behind me and trying to improve my record against Australia."
Cook's apparent willingness to back himself in what is sure to be a fiery encounter is typical of the English side, who are riding high on an impressive stretch of cricket.
Speaking with total comfort at the Gabba on Tuesday, he reminded media that a lot had changed since the last time he'd been in the country, when the Aussies ran rampant with their famous 5-0 series win.
"I think I'd played nine Test matches and now I've got 60 under my belt. I've seen a lot more cricket, I've experienced the highs of scoring some runs, and the lows of not scoring runs, so I feel as though I'm more complete and that I understand what I have to do to score runs."
"The challenge of having that experience is being able to use it in the right way. Hopefully I can do that in this month and prove to people that I can score runs here," said Cook.
It would be reasonable to consider Cook a veteran of the game after his 60 Tests - just four less than Michael Clarke - but he was happy to admit that he felt the magnitude of the occasion.
"We're excited. I walked into the stadium with (Graeme) Swan and (Stuart) Broad, who haven't been here before, and they had massive smiles on their faces looking around," he said.
"As an English player coming for the Ashes in Australia, it's a very exciting place to be at the moment."
"Australia are a hugely competitive side every time they play, and with England coming in probably the biggest Test series there is, they aren't going to need any more motivation."