From this generation's Fab Four, Test cricket is no longer graced by the skills of Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli. Joe Root, though, remains integral for England - even finding himself back in the captaincy seat amid the recent chaos - and Steven Smith is as critical as ever for Australia as they embark on a 12-month run which includes three defining overseas series.
In recent years, Smith has left people on tenterhooks about his future, often stating it's a series-by-series approach but, after announcing the squad to face Bangladesh next month which marks the start of at least 20 Tests until this time next year, chair of selectors George Bailey indicated there was little doubt about how motivated Smith was for the challenges ahead.
"Certainly my conversations with him over the last few months, I don't think I've seen him as excited or invigorated around the opportunities and challenges in particular this Test team have over the next period of time," Bailey said.
"He's probably not on his lonesome there. I think for a number of those guys that have played a lot of Test cricket, and are at certain stages of their career, you look at some of the series that are coming up and what the opportunities are for this Test team to achieve, it probably comes as no surprise as to how excited and focused they are. I've actually been really quite excited by how pumped Steve is, how much thought and time he's putting into what's coming up.
"So, yeah, I fully expect him to be a major part of it… there's some really big key series, a chance I think for this team to really lay down a marker across a number of different conditions as well. I think that's exciting for everyone but, yeah, in particular for him."
Facing Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay is not to be taken lightly, although the potential loss of Nahid Rana to injury would rob the series of one its most exciting players and major threats to Australia, while the recent innings defeat to Zimbabwe does not bode well.
So, providing those Tests go to script, eyes will turn to the mouthwatering prospect of South Africa away, and an attack led by Kagiso Rabada, then a New Zealand side that could be a handful provided they can overcome the weight of history, before early next year visiting India. Quite what shape England will be in come the middle of 2027 remains to be seen, but it would be a surprise if they weren't competitive on home soil.
This is where Smith becomes so important because there remains uncertainty around Australia's batting group. Travis Head could be a thrill-a-minute as he continues to open but Alex Carey is, behind those two, the team's next-best batter going by last season's returns.
Either side of Smith at No. 4, there is no way to say with conviction how those positions will play out over the next 12 months. Marnus Labuschagne produced some handy innings in the Ashes but still needs to convince that he can rediscover that century-scoring form which made him so prolific, and will need to ease worries that his white-ball struggles won't slip into his red-ball batting.
Meanwhile, No. 5 is currently vacant following Usman Khawaja's retirement. Cameron Green is favoured to slot in there as he faces a now-or-never moment to deliver on Test expectations, although in a recent interview with cricket.com.au Carey did not back down from the idea of a promotion.
For Smith, the South Africa series will come with the added narrative of what happened in 2018, although it won't be his first time playing cricket there since having visited for ODIs in early 2020. Still, it's not beyond the realms that he ends up as captain again, should injury hit Pat Cummins during that series, which would be quite the full circle.
Then the visits to India and England allow for a chance to make amends for missed opportunities in 2023 with Smith among a large senior core of players for who it will be final dip in both those countries.
"Always another chance, isn't it," Bailey said in reference to the India and England tours in 2023. "No two series will be the same, but there'll be moments out of those series where they'll look back and wish that things could have gone differently, but there'll also be great things that they would have learned out of that.
"I know everyone fixates on the age, but in terms of the actual growth of the guys, the athletes, they constantly want to learn. They're constantly trying to get better and they're constantly asking questions, particularly around some of those places that do provide different challenges around how they can be better and how they can make the entire team better the next time that we get that opportunity.
"I think all of that builds to something … it's going to be a challenge, but it's going to be a really incredible, exciting 18 months."