With Australia's women's team just hours away from taking the field and the men's side two days out from their first Test in six months, Friday's announcement of the men's T20 squad to play Pakistan later this month was met without too much fanfare.

But the 12th name on the list of 14 players revealed by Cricket Australia's selectors, pace ace Mitchell Starc, is a significant one in the country's push to win the only major trophy in the world that has eluded them thus far – the men's T20 World Cup.

By any subjective measure, Starc has all the attributes of a superstar in Twenty20 cricket. His rapid pace, impeccable length and ability to swing the ball late make him ideally suited to the shortest format, where he can bowl full throttle knowing he will only send down a maximum of 24 deliveries in a match.

And his immense talent is borne out in his career statistics: at international level, Starc's career average (17.44), strike rate (16.7) and economy rate (6.77) place him 14th, 20th and 24th all-time, while his strike rate of just 14.6 in 85 T20 matches at all levels – equivalent to a wicket every two-and-a-half overs – is the second best of any bowler to have taken more than 100 wickets.

But his selection for the three matches against Pakistan in the UAE was nonetheless a surprise given he's played only three 20-over games since May 2015 and none for more than two years.

Since the end of the 2015 IPL, in which he took 20 wickets from 13 games at an economy rate lower than any of the other 15 most prolific bowlers in the tournament, Starc played a lone T20 against England in August of that year and two more against Sri Lanka 12 months later.

There's no doubt Australia have a valuable T20 asset at their disposal – Starc was bought for a cool $1.8m at this year's IPL auction before being forced to withdraw due to injury – but they're yet to establish just what to do with him.

Starc's absence from the T20 circuit in recent years has been due to several serious injuries as well as a desire from Australia's selectors to rest their star bowler and prevent burnout from the already exhausting international schedule.

And while the left-armer is finally back in the T20 squad, the fact he's only just returned from his latest serious injury means his bowling workloads and fitness will remain front of mind heading into a gruelling home summer.

"Those conversations will continue to be had throughout the summer," he said ahead of the first Test in Dubai, starting on Sunday. "I'm really looking forward to these two Test matches first and foremost.

"I don't think I've played a T20 in about two years (and) that's exciting as well.

"I've had a lot of time the last few months to let my body heal by itself rather than having to rush back to play some cricket. That's something I've enjoyed, having time to let everything heal and feel really good about my body and my cricket.

"I feel fit and ready to go. A couple of Tests and some T20s (in the UAE) and then we've got a long summer."

Whether Starc's return to the 20-over side will be a permanent one leading into a T20 World Cup on home soil in two years remains to be seen.

Four T20s have already been confirmed for the home summer and another 11 are pencilled in for the remainder of 2019. Can Starc play all of them given Tests against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka await, not to mention a 50-over World Cup and an Ashes tour next winter?

His own assessment of the six-month break he had over winter, and the benefits he'll take from it, will give selectors even more pause for thought.

"Not going to the IPL and a couple of winter tours was a good chance to let everything heal by itself," he said.

"It's done that and I'm really looking forward to feeling as fit as I have for a while."