Australia’s 25-match, 240-day odyssey against England is underway, with captain Michael Clarke and his degenerative back ominously strapped to a rehab machine in London.
As a result, the pressure falls on replacement skipper George Bailey to hold together Australian hopes for perhaps the remainder of the Champions Trophy.
The one-day international tournament is certainly separate from the nearly eight months of back-to-back Ashes campaigns and tacked on one-dayers and T20s between Australia and England beginning in July.
Nonetheless, all eyes are now on Bailey to see how he can marshall his troops and prevent panic setting in over Clarke’s fitness leading into the Ashes.
Despite the far-reaching context of his elevation to the captaincy, Bailey is quick to downplay the significance.
“I’m not under any more pressure than any other captain,” said Bailey, who has about a 50 per cent success rate as captain at ODI and T20I level.
“First and foremost, my role is to score runs in that middle order for us.
“If I can do that, our players have played enough cricket to know the basics of the game.
“I’m not going to do anything as a captain that’s going to revolutionise the game.
“It’s all their skills… I’m just in charge of hoping the coin lands the right way, really.
“Very rarely does a captain have an influence on (the outcome), other than the fact of how he performs as an individual.”
Bailey’s selection for Australia is often questioned by critics, but it’s for these scenarios that he’s been trusted by the hierarchy.
Selectors like Bailey’s mature cricket brain and calmness under pressure, even if his batting numbers haven’t always demanded attention.
Bailey talks with confidence about Australia’s chances with or without Clarke.
“If we play our best cricket, I’ve got no doubt we can win the tournament – and we probably will win the tournament,” he said.