Not so long ago, the Australian cricketers would announce their arrival in London by telling everyone within earshot how easily they would win the Ashes. Not this time.
The once unwavering self-belief that characterised Australia's team has given way to a more cautious optimism. Even victories over England are no longer taken for granted.
The humbling memory of their shock series defeat four years ago, coupled with the mass retirement of many of their greatest players, has left them vulnerable and uncertain.
Ricky Ponting's team are in a transitional phase, forced to rebuild their stocks after the departures of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer.
Australia are blessed with an abundance of talented players but bringing them up to international level takes time, as the last year has shown.
The Australians were comprehensively outplayed in India last year then suffered their first test series defeat on home soil in 16 years when they were beaten by South Africa.
They showed they were making real progress when they turned the tables on the Proteas to win in South Africa and retain the number one ranking but know the Ashes present a unique challenge.
While the defeats to India and South Africa were tolerated, losing to England would not be acceptable to Australian fans used to sporting success.
The public's interest in the Ashes has started to decline because of Australia's domination over the last two decades, but the Australians have never felt any need to be charitable to their old imperial masters when it comes to cricket.
When England won their lone Ashes series of the past 20 years in 2005, their players openly taunted the Australians, drinking champagne as they travelled through London on an open-top bus, and lunching with Queen Elizabeth.
The Australians took their revenge at home in 2006-07 when their golden generation raised themselves up one last time to humiliate the English 5-0, inflicting the first series whitewash in 86 years, but the survivors have more retribution in mind.
"A lot of us have been there and learnt from our mistakes of last time and we're keen to obviously rectify that," Ponting told reporters before the team's departure for England.
Warne, who had tormented the English for a decade-and-a-half with his leg spinners, retired along with McGrath and Langer after the final test of the 2006-07 series in Australia.
Gilchrist hung up his gloves a year later, then Hayden followed last year, forcing the selectors to fast-track their next generation of players rather than relying on temporary fill-ins.
Australia have still not, and may never, find someone to replace Warne but their series win in South Africa was the first positive sign that they have filled most of the other positions.
The selection of their 16-man squad for the Ashes was surprisingly straightforward, with the panel able to choose a perfect blend of youth and experience.
There is a familiar feel about the batting lineup, despite the departure of long-time openers Hayden and Langer. They have been replaced by Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes, both lefthanders and both highly unorthodox.
Katich, like his predecessors, has fought his way back from adversity while the 20-year-old Hughes, virtually unknown outside Australia a year ago, is the bright new hope of the team and is suddenly poised to be a major player in the series.
He became the youngest man to score centuries in each innings of a test when he blasted a pair of hundreds in his second match against South Africa two months ago and piled on four centuries during a brief stint with Middlesex.
Ponting, his loyal deputy Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey once again feature in the middle order. They have been joined by Marcus North, a left-handed batsman who scored a century on his debut against South Africa last month and is also a handy right-arm spinner.
Brad Haddin has proved a worthy replacement for Gilchrist and has been given a back-up wicketkeeper in Graham Manou, the South Australian captain, to avoid any danger of burnout.
The selectors adopted a cautious approach in the choice of their all-rounders, opting for Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald ahead of the headline-grabbing Andrew Symonds, who was sent home in disgrace from Australia's ill-fated Twenty20 World Cup after breaking the team's strict rules on alcohol.
The squad includes five pace bowlers in Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson, the new spearhead of the attack and quality lower-order batsman with a test hundred against South Africa to his name.
Nathan Hauritz is the only specialist spinner although there are also a few handy part-timers among the batsmen.
"We've been in a transitional phase with our test and one-day cricket now for the past 12 months but I think we've worked our way through that particularly well," Ponting said. "I think the selectors have definitely got it right."
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