England stumbled ahead of the 2015 Ashes as they came away from the West Indies with a 1-1 draw in a Test series most expected them to win.
Incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves had declared the West Indies "mediocre" earlier in the year and warned Alastair Cook's team there would be an inquiry should they not win the series.
There wasn't, as it turned out, and England went on to a memorable Ashes win, regaining the urn in just 14 days.
Ahead of this month's three-Test series in the Caribbean, we look back at some of the best moments from the 2015 tour…
Jordan's slip stunners
England were frustrated in North Sound after Jason Holder's unbeaten century denied the tourists victory in the first Test - Windies closing on 350-7 after being set 438 to win.
Ian Bell (143) and Gary Ballance (122) laid the platform for a potential win with centuries, James Anderson made history (more of that in a jiffy), and Jordan made a spectacular contribution with two stunning slip catches.
The all-rounder proved his supreme athleticism in the first innings by swooping to grab a sharp, low chance off James Tredwell's bowling to send back opener Kraigg Brathwaite.
He then repeated the feat in the second innings, springing with lightning-quick reflexes to pouch another one-handed catch - this time to displace Darren Bravo and earn Joe Root a rare wicket.
Anderson surpasses Botham
Seamer James Anderson eclipsed Sir Ian Botham's record to become England's leading Test wicket-taker.
The Lancashire seamer achieved the milestone in his 100th Test when Alastair Cook caught Denesh Ramdin for 57 with just under 19 overs left on day five of the opening Test.
"I can't think of anyone better to go past me because people don't realise the amount of hard work that goes in to bowl as he does," Botham - watching on and applauding from the Sky Sports commentary box - reflected.
Prophetic Bob Willis added: "There's nothing to stop Jimmy going on to take 500 Test wickets," a feat Anderson achieved in September 2017 - against Windies!
Root racks up 182no
Joe Root took the plaudits in Grenada as his stellar century put England on track for a nine-wicket victory.
Root was in superb touch as he pushed on to what was then his second highest score in Test cricket - now surpassed by 254 against Pakistan (2016) and 190 against South Africa (2017).
For the second match in a row England's hopes of victory appeared to be slipping away on a lifeless pitch until Anderson intervened on the final day.
Anderson (4-45) had a hand in all six of the Windies wickets to fall before lunch as the home side slipped from their overnight 202-2 to 282-8, before being bowled out for 307 in their second innings, leaving England chasing 143 to win.
Jonathan Trott chopped Shannon Gabriel on for a duck but Cook (59no) and Gary Ballance (81no) shared an unbroken stand of 142 to steer England to their target in comfort off 41.1 overs, closing on 144-1 - securing a first overseas Test victory since 2012 in the process.
Samuels salutes Stokes
England's success tasted extra sweet for Ben Stokes after the escalation of his rivalry with Marlon Samuels.
The pair lit up day one with a hammer-and-tongs exchange in the sparky evening session as Samuels (103) countered a Stokes onslaught with the ball to finish the day 94no.
Samuels ratcheted up tensions a notch by saluting Stokes off the field after his dismissal late on day three - caught off Devendra Bishoo for eight. The England man countered by covering his mouth when Samuels walked back to the wicket, then applauding heartily on his dismissal.
Some saw the funny side, including Root who mimicked Samuels' salute from the Lord's balcony after Stokes smashed the fastest Test century at Lords', off 85 balls against New Zealand, in May.
But the bad blood rose again in 2016 - this time in Kolkata in the final throes of the ICC World Twenty20 Trophy.
Samuels struck an unbeaten 85 for West Indies and then watched from the other end as Carlos Brathwaite blasted Stokes to the boundary four times to leave England heartbroken.
The batsman also directed comments towards Stokes during that final over and was subsequently fined 30 per cent of his match fee for "using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an international match".
Windies level the series
Windies collected the victory their performances merited, winning the third Test in Bridgetown by five wickets to level the series.
Darren Bravo enhanced his reputation with a well-crafted 82 as the hosts chased down a target of 192 to claim victory with two days in the locker.
England went down despite earning a first-innings lead of 68 as Anderson's 6-42 helped shoot out Windies for just 189 in reply to the tourists' modest 257, built on Cook's 105.
But England slipped to 39-5 second time around, then 123 all out - Jerome Taylor, Holder and Veerasammy Permaul all taking three wickets - and this time there was no way back.
Watch England take on Windies live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with the first Test on Wednesday 23rd January at 2pm.