BIRMINGHAM: England's request for more life in the pitch for this week's third Ashes Test has been welcomed by one of Australia's fast-bowling trio, who believes the series hosts "are not really sure what to do now" after capitulating on what was supposed to be a flat track at Lord's.

Seemingly over an ankle problem that troubled him in Cardiff, Mitchell Starc is hoping to figure in a repeat of the destructive performance he and his fellow quicks, led by Mitchell Johnson, produced in the second Test and is buoyed by the possibility of more pace in the wicket at Edgbaston from Wednesday after England captain Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss complained about the state of the strip at Lord's.

The Australians, with their tails still up more than a week after their 405-run hammering of England that squared the series, believe at their best they have their opponents covered across the board whatever the surface they're playing on.

"We'll be licking our lips, don't worry," Starc said when asked about the prospect of an Edgbaston pitch more suitable to fast bowlers.

"They [England] are not really sure what they want to do now. Some of their team want batting-friendly wickets and that hasn't helped them at Lord's. They want to get their bowlers back in the game, but we've got the pace as well. So I think as Michael [Clarke] said, maybe last week, it doesn't matter."

Starc, now a formidable fixture in the Australian XI after several years of being in and out of the team, also scoffed at comments made by Moeen Ali, England's spin-bowling all-rounder, about Johnson.

Ali said last week: "I don't mind facing him. I know he bowled very well in one innings out of four but in Cardiff we took it to him. He went for a lot of runs and didn't take many wickets."

Asked about Ali's remarks, Starc recalled the Johnson throat ball that finished off the England No.8 for a fourth-ball duck on the fourth and ultimately final afternoon of the second Test.

"Moeen can keep watching the replay of the ball he got in the second innings if he likes. I don't want to face that stuff," he said.

"[England] are searching for some form after Lord's and have made a change with Gary Ballance out. They've brought in Jonny [Bairstow], who has scored a lot of runs in county cricket this year so far. Whenever you make the opposition make changes, it shows you're on top. It's about staying there and really pushing that home this week."

As for his ankle, the extra break between Tests has done Starc no harm and after clearly bowing under duress during the first match of the series, when he had cortisone injections, he is hoping he is beyond the worst of the pain. He said he did not have ankle spurs, an injury on which he had surgery in 2013.

"The scan said it was all good, so there's no bone issue. No joint issue. As far as I'm concerned I'll keep going. It's feeling good, so I'll push on again this week," Starc said.

"Compared to what it was in Cardiff, it was miles better [at Lord's]. So those cortisones I've had have started to kick in and it can only get better from here , as I understand it. I've had cortisone in the past and time helps it, so this week has probably been good for it to settle in and I'll feel better again this week.

"Coming from that scan, knowing there was nothing wrong with the bone or the joint. It's just going through the pain, it's nothing new for fast bowlers to push through the pain.

"If Ryan Harris can get through a broken knee to try and get right for the Ashes, I can get a little bit of ankle pain to get through. Pain is part and parcel of fast bowling. As you progress through your years of bowling, you start to learn what you can and can't get through. As far as I was concerned I knew there was nothing wrong with the joint so just push on."