Chris Silverwood was axed as England head coach earlier this year following a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Australia in the Ashes.
Now, less than six months after England lost the final Ashes Test by 146 runs in Hobart, Silverwood is set to take on Australia in a Test series once more. The 47-year-old is now in charge of Sri Lanka and is eyeing up some revenge after a "rough winter" that ultimately cost him his job.
Silverwood has already led Sri Lanka to a 3-2 win over Australia in the ODI series and is hoping for a repeat in the two Tests. Speaking before the first game gets underway at Galle on Wednesday, he said: "I keep notes on everything.
"I'm an avid scribbler, so I've got my notes on the Australian batsmen from the Ashes. I'm not going to go too much into the Ashes … but whatever knowledge I can bring from there and bring to our guys, I will."
Silverwood also admitted it was "very satisfying" to beat Australia in the ODIs and he believes Sri Lanka are still "nowhere near" reaching their potential.
"I had a rough winter over in Australia," he added. "They're a very difficult team to beat in their own backyard.
"So winning [the ODI series] here was very satisfying, but more satisfying for me was the progress of the team that has made their way through this journey so far.
"Just to see the tactics coming together, to see guys out in the middle scoring runs, to see how we've chased totals down.
"One of the most exciting things is we're still nowhere near the potential we have in that team, yet we are still pushing the one of the best teams in the world. That's very exciting and we've more to come."
