A foot injury to Brett Lee means Australia will call on one of their least experienced attacks for what looms as one of their biggest Tests in recent history, in Sydney later this week.
South Africa's magnificent fightback in the second Test at the MCG has paved the way for Australia to be fighting to stave off their first series defeat at home in 16 years, either here or at the SCG from Saturday.
Australia are hopeful Lee can still bowl at the MCG, but regardless of the result, he has been ruled out of playing in Sydney because of a stress problem in his left foot, which prevented him from bowling on Sunday.
His absence will mean Mitchell Johnson will lead the attack in Sydney, in what would be his 17th Test, with Peter Siddle (three Tests) and either Ben Hilfenhaus or Doug Bollinger likely to make their debut, and one of Nathan Hauritz (three Tests) or Jason Krejza (two) to bowl spin.
The dearth of in-form, experienced bowlers has not been felt so badly since 2003, when injury sidelined Glenn McGrath, Lee, Jason Gillespie and Stuart MacGill and suspension kept Shane Warne out of a Test against minnow Zimbabwe.
Lee's latest injury could keep him sidelined until just before the first Test in South Africa, in Johannesburg starting February 26.
One delivery in the Proteas' second innings at the MCG is all it could take to have Lee, 32, sidelined for up to six weeks.
In a sign of how Lee's series is going - he currently has figures of 1-200 - Australia are effectively waiting for his stress reaction to become a stress fracture.
Although his foot is not currently broken, Australia cannot plan for his return from his latest injury until the bone cracks.
"We're going to try to get him to bowl in the second innings," said Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.
"He might bowl one ball, he might bowl 10 overs or 15 overs.
"It's on the way to being a stress fracture. It's not far off.
"A stress fracture means you can see a line on the scan which means a little crack in the bone.
"At the moment the crack's not there but it's not far away." Although Kountouris said Australia were not aiming for Lee to suffer a crack in the bone, a more defined fracture would make it easier for the bone to heal through rest.
"If you have a little, tiny crack it can take a long time for it to heal," he said.
"That (a break) is not what we're aiming for, but there is a risk of that happening.
"Pain will guide us to where he is. Today he was in so much pain he couldn't bowl." Lee felt soreness after his first spell on Saturday and it got worse throughout the day.
He went for scans Saturday night and had x-rays taken Sunday.
Kountouris said the injury came from the rigours of landing heavily on his front foot when bowling, and could only be healed through rest.
Lee's absence meant Siddle, Johnson and Hauritz bowled more overs on Sunday, during which South Africa's tail brought the tourists back into the match.
Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke said Lee's absence hurt his side, but denied him not playing in Sydney was a worry.
"I look at it the other way," he said.