Having been whitewashed the last time the two sides met, England were determined to put up a better show in front of their home fans when the Australians toured in the summer of 2015.
And they got off to the perfect start with victory in the first Test match, at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
They had won the toss, chose to bat, and made 430, inspired by Joe Root’s 134, while Gary Ballance made 61, Ben Stokes 52, and Moeen Ali a brisk 77. Mitchell Johnson took 5-114.
In reply, Chris Rogers scored 95, but lacked consistent support, and Australia were all out for 308.
Batting for a second time, England reached 289, with Ian Bell and Root both making 60.
Set 412, Australia were dismissed for 242, with the English bowlers sharing the wickets. England won by 169 runs.
Australia soon extracted heavy revenge in the second Test match, at Lord’s. There it was their turn to win the toss and bat, and they took full advantage by making 566/6 before declaring. Steve Smith made 215 and Rogers 173.
Captain Alastair Cook then led the way for England with 96 in their reply. Stokes scored 87, but the rest of the batting failed and they were all out for 312.
Already with a big first-innings lead, Australia built on that further by declaring on 254/2, with David Warner making 83 and Smith 58.
That left England needing 509 to win, but they got nowhere near it. They were bowled out for just 103 in less than 37 overs. Australia won by 405 runs.