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Just over a week ago, Peter Siddle looked set to be a passenger on this Ashes tour, seen only in training gear or sitting on the Australian balcony.
Now he could have a massive role to play to ensure the urn isn’t handed back.
With Mitchell Starc a strong chance to miss the second Test starting on Thursday, Siddle is the only realistic option to replace him.
For all his talent, Pat Cummins is as raw as it gets, having not played a first-class game in two years and only two matches since making his Test debut in late 2011.
The frailty of Ryan Harris’s body has deprived Australia of their attack commander, a remarkably incisive and consistent operator who made his bowling colleagues more effective.
Above anyone, Mitchell Johnson will have felt the impact of Harris’s absence at Cardiff. Johnson’s record has been considerably worse in Tests which Harris has missed in recent years.
Simultaneously threatening and frugal, something only the greatest Test bowlers can achieve, Harris was the perfect partner for the less accurate, less predictable, and less self-assured Johnson.
In the pinpoint offerings of Josh Hazlewood, Australia have as best a like-for-like replacement for Harris as they could possibly hope.
Among Hazlewood’s myriad qualities, though, leadership is not yet one of them. It is this attribute which Australia’s attack most missed as they were steamrolled by a bold England side in the first Test.
Without Harris at the helm, the bowling unit looked rudderless at times. By far the most experienced member of Australia’s attack, Johnson has always given the impression he prefers to be a support act rather than the headliner.
Hazlewood shapes as the man who can lead Australia’s attack in the future. However, with just six Tests under his belt, he remains on a learning curve and in need of support from wiser heads.
Starc, at this stage at least, appears to be similar to Johnson – a confidence bowler happier to work in the slipstream of others.
He, too, would desperately love to be playing alongside Harris, who led with words as well as deeds.
Regularly Harris could be seen wandering over to less experienced pacemen in between deliveries or overs to give them reassurance, encouragement or guidance.
It is this kind of low profile but invaluable input which seemed thin on the ground in the first Test. Should he be given the opportunity, Siddle can help fill this void.
Revered in Australia for his heart as much as his skill, Siddle is a vastly experienced cricketer.
With 56 Tests plus 10 matches in England to his name, he knows the demands of Test cricket and is familiar with playing conditions which are still foreign to Hazlewood.
Lord’s must be an intimidating venue for young players, particularly pacemen who must adapt to its bizarre and extravagant slope.
Siddle’s on-field advice would be of great value to Hazlewood. While he could enhance Australia’s attack with his leadership, he faces a massive challenge to have an impact with the ball.
As expected, the pitch at Sofia Gardens was sleepy, offering minimal encouragement to bowlers, and similar conditions look likely throughout the series.
Siddle used to be suited to these kind of decks. His supreme fitness, relentless endeavour and admirable control allowed him to stay at the batsmen, offering them few easy runs.
But that was when Siddle was considerably quicker – when he operated consistently above 140km/h and could push the speed gun up to 150km/h.
About two years ago, Siddle suffered a sudden and sharp decline in pace. Since then he has typically bowled in the 130-135km/h range with his effort balls nudging 140km/h.
This loss of velocity has significantly curbed his effectiveness. To be a successful Test bowler at this kind of gentle speed, typically you must have something exceptional about your bowling.
Think Shaun Pollock’s wizardly swing or Glenn McGrath’s disconcerting bounce. Siddle has never got much swerve on his deliveries and at 187 centimetres doesn’t earn unusual lift off the pitch.
Without that extra 10km/h of speed, he has remained an accurate and economical bowler. Rarely has he bowled poor spells. The problem has been the proliferation of spells in which his opponents have looked at ease.
This has been particularly noticeable since the last Ashes in England, during which he was solid, taking 17 wickets at 32. In his 10 Tests over that period, Siddle has snared only 25 wickets at 39. He has been very economical, conceding only 2.81 runs per over, but his strike rate has blown out to 84.
After the rollicking rate at which England scored in the first Test, Australia would benefit from the type of control Siddle can offer.
The question is whether he can be incisive enough against an England side now overflowing with confidence.