Exactly 12 months ago, Justin Langer's first assignment as national coach couldn't have gone much worse, Australia whitewashed by a rampant England across six white-ball contests.
The third ODI of the series, played out under sullen skies at Trent Bridge, was as tough as it gets. England mopped Australia's bowlers for a world-record 481, before romping to a 242-run win.
In the fading light in Nottingham, Australian players' hearts broken, newly-minted coach Langer had it all to do to keep his troops above water.
On Thursday, a very different Australian team will run out against West Indies at Trent Bridge, looking to add another scalp to a young World Cup campaign.
MORE: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan despite dismal collapse
Australia opened their Cup defence on Saturday with a seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Bristol, with an all-round performance giving Langer and his staff cause for positive consideration ahead of future Cup matches.
However, speaking before Thursday's match, Langer was reintroduced to that fateful day where records fell for all the wrong reasons for his side.
"I've had some good times at Trent Bridge, but last year was a down," Langer told reporters.
"When we turned up, spirits were high, but it was unbelievable.
"I remember walking to the gate [at the boundary] and I just wanted to give the boys a hug, because it was brutal.
"There are certainly a few more smiles in camp at the moment than there was 12 months ago."
Considering the flatness of the Trent Bridge wicket, and the master-blasting strengths of the opposition, Langer expects to take on the Windies with an unchanged side.
That will include David Warner, who along with Steve Smith, has impressed since returning to the Australian fold.
Smith stole all the headlines leading into the Cup opener, but it was his former deputy that spoiled Afghanistan's party.
Warner's unbeaten 89 on Saturday was far from his most fluent knock, but it was valuable time in the middle nonetheless.
Time in the middle is what Warner needs, and what Langer requires should his team desire to get away to a flying start.
MORE: Australia pass first Cup test, but there's more angst to come
Should Warner get his eye in as the tournament progress, according to Langer, the sky's the limit for the punchy left-hander.
"It's a good sign, isn't, when David Warner gets 90-odd not out and didn't get any out of the middle [of the bat]," he said.
"His feet weren't moving like they could be, which was a good sign for me.
"You can see the look in his eyes. He looks determined, and for him to battle through and still be there at the end and get the job done for the team, it's a great sign for us.
"Hopefully the more time he spends in the middle facing fast bowling again... confidence is a beautiful thing.
"It's not as if he batted badly, he just wasn't as dynamic as he was in the past, but he did a brilliant job for the team.
"All the talk over the last 12 months has been about Davey fitting into the team. You could not play a better team innings than he did the other day."
