Australia's selectors have turned the blowtorch on Brett Lee by declaring they need him to step up and become the new spearhead of the Test attack.
The retirements of kingpins Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne means Lee is the most experienced bowler in a side which hopes to retain its mantle as the world's best.
Lee has a mixed history when McGrath was absent through injury, but selection chairman Andrew Hilditch says the pace ace is ready to match expectation with results.
"It will be an interesting time for Brett Lee now he is officially the spearhead of our attack," Hilditch said.
"I think he is up to it."
Hilditch was in India during the recent one-day series and liked what he saw from Lee, who was making his comeback from ankle surgery which forced him out of the World Cup earlier this year.
Not only was the pin-up quick serving up high speeds, but an equally important weapon was on show.
"He swung the new ball quite prodigiously," Hilditch said.
If Lee is to help fill the void left by McGrath, he must be able to not only claim early wickets but finish with a bag and build pressure by restricting runs.
He has to prove he can do that as in 59 Tests (231 wickets) he has only seven five-wicket hauls. Four of those came in his first 13 Tests.
While he may touch high-octane speeds of 160km/h, top batsmen don't always fear this because Lee is a "skidder" and doesn't extract the same unnerving bounce which McGrath said was the key to his glittering career.
Lee does have a strike rate (53.16) which is on par with McGrath (51.95) but, of the bowlers to have 100 Test victims, he has the highest average per 100 balls (59.46).
While Hilditch said skipper Ricky Ponting made the final call, he believes Lee will be used in bursts this summer.
"I think we will really be looking at him to bowl shorter spells, five or six over spells, of quick, good strike bowling," he said.
Lee's figures (0-188 off 50 overs) in his only Pura Cup match before this week's Brisbane Test against Sri Lanka may have been less than impressive, but Hilditch said they were not a good guide.
"His rhythm looked good. I think he needed a good workout in the Pura Cup game, which he obviously got," he said.
Lee has put on muscle in the off-season and claims he has never been as fit, with his dodgy ankle now stable.
While Lee is regarded as the spearhead, Stuart Clark is seen as the McGrath-clone who can bowl rigid line and length and trouble opponents with bounce.
Clark (47 wickets in nine matches) has had a remarkable start to his Test career, and his importance cannot be underestimated.
- JON PIERIK