MITCHELL Starc has destroyed all-comers with the white and pink balls so far this summer but the great unknown remains whether he can finally exorcise his demons with the red variety when he spearheads the Test attack against New Zealand in Brisbane next week.
Usman Khawaja and Cameron Bancroft are heavily favoured to feature in a new-look and somewhat vulnerable Australian top three at the Gabba, but the home side's bowling attack will be the same quartet that never quite hit its straps during the failed Ashes campaign. 
Starc blitzed the recent domestic one-day competition with the same breathtaking ease he did   March's World Cup, taking 26 wickets at a stunning average of 8 in just six matches.
The NSW left-armer ravaged South Australia with figures of 5-28 in the day-night Sheffield Shield clash in Adelaide yesterday, making it 12 pink ball wickets for Starc in his past two matches - an ironic level of success from one of the concept's most vocal critics.
It means he enters the Test series in rare form, but in many ways still with it all to prove.
While Starc has long threatened to dominate Test match cricket as well as the shorter forms, with his uncanny ability to bowl full and swing the ball late, he is yet to do so consistently in the five-day form.
Starc shapes as a crucial figure against the Black Caps, particularly given the unconvincing make-up of the Australian top seven - which was at the root of the team's problems in England this year.
With the exception of captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner, the Australian batting order shapes as a mixture of inexperience and indifferent form.
There are grave doubts over what kind of trouble Australia could find themselves if Black Caps quicks Tim Southee and Trent Boult find a way to dislodge Smith and Warner early.
Bancroft, 22, is set to be the only debutant chosen, incredible given the talk of a mass overhaul following the Ashes disaster.
The 12-man squad is locked in for the first two Tests of the three-match series, meaning West Australian stars Bancroft, Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh could all be in-line to play their first Tests in Perth come mid   November. Bulls star Khawaja, at 28, is likely to be given a sustained crack at No.3 starting at his home track, a move which will push key man Smith to No.4.
Veteran Voges has done enough to cling on to his spot at No.5, meaning Joe Burns could be the unlucky man to miss out on the 12-man squad announced by National Selector Rod Marsh today in Adelaide.
That's if battling all-rounder Marsh holds his place as the all-rounder, despite struggling desperately with the bat during the start to the domestic season.
There was preliminary talk that Australian selectors were gun-shy about partnering left-arm weapons Starc and Mitchell Johnson in the same attack - given their failure to fire as a unit in England.
However, those fears have been dispelled thanks to Starc's unplayable form and Johnson's impressive return to the fold following a much-needed post-Ashes freshen-up.Likely squad: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (capt), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle.