Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne has called for Australia's fresh-faced Test side to reach their potential and put an end to the transitional phase that has seen Ricky Ponting's men slip to No.4 in the Test rankings.
The exit of Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer over the last three years has seen Australia's dominance in world cricket halted, with England, South Africa and India all notching Test series wins.
Warne, speaking after skippering the ACA All*Stars side in Sunday night's season opening Twenty20 against Australia, suggested the rebuilding phase must come to an end now.
"You have to say the Australian side has been in a transition phase but there has to be a line - when does that transition phase stop?" Warne pondered.
"The side has been together probably for 18 months, so played three or four Test series, clocking up 12-15, nearly 20 Tests,"
"There comes a time that being ranked fourth … I wouldn't say Australia is the fourth best side in the world."
"Yes, be patient and we're going to be a bit inconsistent, but there comes a time when we say, we've had enough time, we know enough about ourselves, we've played enough Test cricket, it's time to start performing."
Warne believed Australia could ill afford the same buildup in mature talent that saw the Test team decimated when the likes of McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden and Langer bid farwell.
The 40-year-old was adamant selectors should look at injecting some more new faces into the squad.
"Are these guys in the side going to see us through in the long term or is there an opportunity to get some new blood in the side?" he said.
"We need to say 'what is our future?' If we're going to stay in a transition side and stay patient with them, we need these guys to get the opportunity to play some Test cricket."
"We need to identify two or three young guys to come in and say these guys have got it. Is that Steve Smith, (Moises) Henriques, Phillip Hughes?"
"Whoever they are, pick them at the right time. What we don't want is to lose four or five of us (at the same time) like we did."
NSW leg-spinning all-rounder Steve Smith was one player who has caught Warne's eye.
Warne crashed a boundary and a six off Smith's final over in his side's 17-run loss to Australia, but suggested the 20-year-old has a bright future.
"Be patient with him and just let him bowl."
"He's got some good people around him. I've worked with him a bit and would like to work with him a lot more."
"We both get along very well. When we talk about spin bowling he relates with what I'm saying. Hopefully he's one to really watch, he could be a real bolter."