Nick Compton's Ashes dream is back on track following a timely return to form on the opening day of Somerset's LV=County Championship match against Durham at Taunton.
Told to go away and score some "heavy runs" for his county by England coach Andy Flower, the 29-year-old responded by scoring 139 not out, off 276 balls, with 17 fours and a six, and batting throughout a day of glorious sunshine.
It was just the tonic Compton needed to rebuild self-belief ahead of the forthcoming Test Series against Australia and an equally important one for Somerset in their quest for a first Championship win of the season.
None of their other top order batsmen could match the opener's powers of concentration, Marcus Trescothick, Arul Suppiah, Dean Elgar, James Hildreth and Alex Barrow all surrendering their wickets to poor shots when seemingly well set.
It took a neat cameo from Peter Trego to help Compton take the score to 336 for five by stumps, which was no more that Somerset would have expected when Trescothick won the toss under cloudless skies.
Coach Andy Hurry admitted he would have liked at least one other batsman to go on to a meaningful score, but was full of praise for Compton.
"We all know what pressure Nick was under. I felt the way he set his innings up was truly Compton-esque," he said.
"He was very watchful and circumspect early on and the tempo of his innings increased as the day wore on. He showed tremendous mental strength to deliver in the circumstances and is now on the path to be back to his best."
Compton himself declined to talk to the media until his innings is over. With his England place under severe threat, he elected to go back to basics and concentrate solely on occupying the crease.
He made no attempt to match the flowing stroke-play of opening partner Trescothick, who breezed to 36 in a stand of 47 before inexplicably flashing at a wide ball from Graham Onions and edging a catch to Scott Borthwick at second slip.
Arul Suppiah helped take the score to 82 for one at lunch, by which time Compton had battled away for 87 balls to score just 23.
At times he seemed so fettered by concerns over his England place that he found it hard to free his arms. But gradually his noted application paid dividends and the tension eased.
The afternoon session saw Compton move to fifty off 129 balls, with a four followed by a straight six off young off-spinner Ryan Buckley.
He was given one life on 53 when Paul Collingwood dropped a sharp catch at slip off Buckley, but it was a rare blemish.
By then the shackles seemed to have been removed and Compton began to look as though he was enjoying his batting again.
The second fifty was far more fluent, occupying 74 deliveries. A misfield by Mark Stoneman at mid-off brought his 12th four and the coveted three figures, greeted with a hug from partner Hildreth and warm applause from appreciative Somerset supporters.
By then Suppiah had departed back to the pavilion, bowled middle and leg stump by Onions.
Tea was taken at 212-2, and straight after the interval Elgar had a wild slog at Will Smith to surrender his wicket, also bowled. When Hildreth also moved sweetly into the thirties only to fall lbw playing across a full ball from Buckley, Somerset were in danger of failing to capitalise on what seemed almost ideal batting conditions.
Alex Barrow looked confident enough in moving to 25 before falling victim to the second new ball as his stumps were rearranged by Mark Wood to make it 307-5.
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