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Both Australia and England have one conundrum to solve before their relentless Test schedules gather pace once again.
With Chris Rogers no more and Adam Lyth likely to be sent back to the shires, perhaps for good, a couple of opening batsmen need to be sourced.
There are other areas that will have to be addressed – the respective middle orders, the identity of a second spinner – but these aren’t as pressing as who is going to go in first.
If it really comes to it, both in Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates, a solitary spinner could be used (not really advisable but not out of the question) and there are other candidates that spring to mind with regards to numbers four to six.
Yet who strolls out with David Warner and Alastair Cook in October will, and rightly should, take up a greater percentage of the selectorial discussions.
If nothing else, the recently concluded Ashes series highlighted the need for good, old-fashioned, pragmatic batsmanship. Only Rogers and, to a slightly lesser extent, Cook demonstrated that, for all the increased tempo of the modern game, there remains a place for some kind of normality.
Despite the inane talk of the pitches being too bowler-friendly, the former demonstrated that if there is a will there is a way to prosper. Wickets are allowed to seam, just as they are allowed to bounce steeply or spin sharply. It is what it is and the challenge is to cope with what’s thrust in front of you.
That particular task may not present itself again until 2019 when Australia visit these shores again, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt for an individual to be found who can use this particular kind of methodology.
The constant of Warner, who isn’t going anywhere, is a plus as his way of operating should enable an easier transition for any newcomer.
There is plenty to be said for having an opener who scores at a fair lick at the other end; it prevents the scoreboard from stagnating and if the pressure to score is relatively absent, the partner can go about his business without as much restrictive pressure.
Add to this the presence of Steve Smith at number three – surely a move to four is unlikely – and there is a buffer either side.
Quite who they go for given an obvious dearth of outstanding candidates is anybody’s guess, but the opportunity now exists to think long rather than short-term.
The same train of thought has to exist among the England hierarchy, who are likely to replace Lyth for the trip to the desert in October.
The Yorkshireman can definitely play but all of the ingredients for success at the top level don’t seem to be there. That’s no crime but with no improvement in evidence over the five games, the decision is likely to be one he won’t want to hear.
That leaves something of a dilemma. Talk is already doing the rounds of Moeen Ali moving up to the top for the Pakistan series so a second spinner can be accommodated, and that isn’t too wild an idea.
But come the first Test in Durban on Boxing Day, when England revert to type with a solitary spinner, that plan will be rendered useless. In the situation they find themselves, they could do worse than look towards the example set by Warner.
When the left-hander first received the call for Test duty how many, honestly, thought it was a good call? A short-form thrasher in the five-day game? Come on now.
But ability can be transferred and Warner is now a consistent performer whom most teams would happily snap up should he find evidence of a grandparent born elsewhere in the cricket-playing world.
To this end, it’s worth taking a punt on Alex Hales. The Nottinghamshire man is far from the perfect batsman but he scores freely, he has shown he can perform in the international environment and going back to the likes of Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and Sam Robson would be a retrograde step.
Cook will play as Cook does, he’s too long in the tooth for changing and he has no real need to, and somebody of a more attacking mindset could be a bonus, especially if Ian Bell can rediscover his mojo at first wicket down.
It may have the hint of a gamble but, as will be the case with Rod Marsh et al, nothing ventured and all that.