Marcus North's coming of age spells bad news for another Western Australian southpaw.
North and Michael Hussey are great mates but the former's rise could hasten the latter's demise.
As recently as a week ago, North would have been forgiven for feeling highly insecure about his position in the team. Now he has not only proven his worth but shown he is ready for more responsibility.
After a century in Cardiff, the left-hander's second from three Tests, North's grip on the No.6 slot was loosened by three successive failures at Lord's and Edgbaston.
His record suggested otherwise but as the latest inductee to Australia's middle order he was the man most vulnerable if selectors decided to give Ricky Ponting a fifth bowler.
Not anymore, though North still talks like a man with one eye on the rearview mirror.
"I don't take playing for Australia for granted, I cherish every Test I play," he said.
"I'm going to do my best to contribute to as many Test wins, and hopefully scoring runs consistently, making a good argument not to keep me out of the side."
A match-saving 96 at Edgbaston followed by a century at Headingley and North is showing signs he can become a future lynchpin of Australia's batting line-up.
Had North, 30 late last month, been a few years older he would have been a contender for the dubious honour of best player never to have worn the baggy green.
So well have his parents timed his arrival, North is still young enough to stake a claim to being Michael Clarke's trusty offsider when Ponting pulls the pin.
As England has found out, Clarke and North have already shown themselves to be a formidable partnership.
In the shorter term, North's coming of age has afforded selectors extra time to deal with the Hussey dilemma or could expedite his state team-mate's slide out of the Test side.
Hussey has found runs tough this series though made a vital half-century at Edgbaston.
But, with an average of only 23.85 since the start of the last Australian summer, he must surely be running low on credits.
Clarke, Australia's leading run-scorer this series, and North are both playing well enough to carry Hussey into the Australian summer.
But they have provided ample evidence they are also ready to rise a rung in the batting order if selectors deem the time right to blood new talent or continue its quest to unearth an all-rounder.
For the first time in North's Test career, he is no longer the first batsman out of the middle order. That title must surely now be Hussey's.