Australia could drop the leading wicket-taker in this Ashes series, Josh Hazlewood, so Trent Bridge specialist Peter Siddle can stiffen their attack for the fourth Test.
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It seems a dramatic move but there is a precedent: England's bold decision to axe Steve Finn during the 2010-11 Ashes, which proved stunningly successful.
Siddle took eight wickets in his previous Test appearance in Nottingham, where he called home earlier this season and where he taken 24 wickets at 24.43 in five matches since 2014. But it is his proficiency at drying up scoring, rather than his wicket-taking ability, which could see him preferred to Hazlewood.
Mitch Starc has been more expensive than Hazlewood, but in their current form Australia more so needs Starc given the regularity at which he delivers wicket balls, such as the unplayable one in the second innings that grazed Alastair Cook's off-stump. For them to win the last two Tests the left-armer will be crucial. They just need bowlers around him who can make up for his poor economy rate.
Hazlewood has long been reputed to be the steady bowler Australia can build their pace attack around. His twenty-four wickets across his first five Tests, at home to India and away to the West Indies, underlined that.
What made it even better was that the towering 24-year-old did it while inflicting serious scoring pressure on the batsmen, which benefits his fellow bowlers. In the West Indies he conceded just 1.87 runs per over, and was bowling a maiden every 2.1 overs. In England his average (22.5) and strike-rate (37) are both impressive, but they are being undermined by the lack of pressure he is creating around them.
It will a big concern for Australia's hierarchy that Mitch Johnson is outperforming Hazlewood for both economy rate (3.57 runs per over compared to 3.58) and regularity of maidens (every 4.5 overs compared to every 6.3 for Hazlewood). Johnson is an attacking beast who needs to be given licence to attack - like he did so brutally by snaring Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes in his first over on day two at Edgbaston - with Starc, while Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon do the dirty work stemming the run-rate.
Hazlewood's inability to bowl a maiden in 22 overs at Edgbaston is a reflection of his battle for accuracy. Since bowling 8 maidens in 23 overs in the first innings in Cardiff he has since managed only six in 65, or one every 11 overs.
As Australia's specialist seamers are all conceding more than 3.5 runs per over England's three main seamers so far in the series - Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood - are all under that mark. The only specialist who is not, Finn, was man of the match when he made his series debut last week. He is also the example Australian selectors could look to when contemplating replacing Hazlewood.
Three Tests into the 2010-11 series in Australia Finn, like Hazlewood now, was atop the wicket tally with 14 (albeit at an inferior average and economy rate to the Australian). After Australia roared back in Perth to level the series England made the gutsy call: cutting Finn in favour of Tim Bresnan.
Finn was undoubtedly the superior longer-term prospect but their focus was on the now. Bresnan responded with aplomb. In two Tests the barrel-chested seamer, expertly exploiting reverse swing, took 11 wickets at 19.55, while conceding only 2.6 runs per over (Finn had been conceding 4.31).
Australian selectors may feel Siddle could be their Tim Bresnan of 2010-11. Since being dropped from the Test team last summer Siddle impressed in the Sheffield Shield, taking 21 wickets at 22.95. More pertinently for Australia's current Ashes selection situation, the Victorian did that while conceding only 2.68 runs per over and producing a maiden every 3.1 overs.
Replacing Hazlewood with Siddle would not be any more than a speed bump in the former's career, and it would not preclude him from returning at The Oval. It would just be an acknowledgement that at the moment his bowling is not quite there, and at 1:2 down Australia cannot afford to wait until he gets back to his customary groove.
England made the tough call almost five years ago and reaped the spoils of it, with a glorious away series win. Australia selectors will, despite their lofty opinion of Hazlewood, not be oblivious to that precedent.
