Ricky Ponting is looking forward to the chance of unleashing Brett Lee and Shaun Tait as the world's fastest new-ball pairing in Australia's home Test series against Sri Lanka and India.
"It's pretty exciting to have two guys that can just rip opposition batting apart with their sheer pace, if nothing else," Ponting said.
Both bowlers have been clocked over the 160km/h mark and would give Australia their most frightening attack since Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson terrorised batsmen around the world in the 1970s.
"If you have both those guys at the top of their games there's every chance that could happen," Ponting said.
Ponting said Lee was certain to come straight back into the side for the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba on November 8 following a strong recovery from ankle surgery after he broke down during the Chappell-Hadlee series in New Zealand in February.
Tait needs to show the selectors he has made a full recovery from an elbow operation since returning from the World Cup.
An infection set back his recovery time and Ponting is monitoring his progress, hoping he will be fit for next month's Twenty20 World Cup.
"If those two are bowling at their best, they're going to put their names right up in front of the selectors," Ponting said.
"Brett's probably a given coming back into the Test team. Taity's got to get there yet, but he did a good job for us in the World Cup.
"It's an exciting time, no doubt about that."
Whether Lee and Tait share the new ball at the 20-over tournament in South Africa is another thing altogether.
"I don't know," Ponting said.
"The beauty of them is they're both wicket-taking bowlers, but at the same time they can both go around the park a little bit as well.
"Whether you can afford to do that in the Twenty20 World Cup - who knows?
"I haven't really played enough of it to really understand the game that well.
"We've got a fair bit of thinking and talking to do about that just yet."
Ponting, who was in Canberra on Monday for celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the Australian Cricket Centre of Excellence, said he hadn't been lying awake at night wondering what he was going to do in tight situations now that he no longer has the luxury of throwing the ball to Shane Warne or Glenn McGrath.
"To be totally honest I haven't thought about cricket at all (since the end of the World Cup).
"I had all those thoughts when I knew that those guys were going to retire.
"We are just going to have to look at doing things a bit differently than what we have been doing in the past.
"When it was day five and there was a game on the line you'd throw the ball to Warne and most times he'd win you the game. He's not going to be there.
"I'm going to have to manage the bowlers differently. The style of play might have to change a little bit."
Ponting said it was up to him and the other senior players to ensure Australia maintained its momentum without the two bowling greats, as well as Justin Langer and Damien Martyn.
"If myself and Matt Hayden and Adam Gilchrist and those sort of guys hold up our end and keep playing the way that we've played for a long period of time, then hopefully you won't notice that Warne's not around, or McGrath's not around," he said.