Johnson plans short-ball attack for Strauss

Mitchell Johnson will attack Andrew Strauss with the short ball in an effort to unsettle England's captain on the bouncy Gabba surface during the first Test. Australia have always worked on the philosophy that if you hurt the leader, the rest of the side will suffer, and Johnson has spotted what he thinks is a weakness.

"I've had a bit of a look at the footage at him under the short ball," Johnson said. "He can play one that's about chest height but if you really get it right on the money, he really does struggle with it. You've got to get your bouncer high to him. You've got to be that aggressive bowler to him."

Strauss, who was the leading run-scorer in the 2009 Ashes, was dismissed twice attempting the pull and hook shots at the Gabba four years ago, the first mistakes in a forgettable visit. Andrew Flintoff was the captain for the whitewash, but this time Strauss has to keep both his game and his team in order.

"They really look up to their captain Strauss and that's someone we need to target," Johnson said. "As their captain, if you can get him to crumble, their players start thinking the same way and start thinking negatively, so he's someone we're going after."

Peter Siddle, who is fighting to make the XI, also spoke of the importance of restricting Strauss. "The captain walking out first is always a good target and one you want to challenge first up," he said. "He was the leading run-scorer last series; we definitely want to get him as soon as possible."

While England won the Ashes 2-1 in 2009 and have since beaten Bangladesh twice and Pakistan, Siddle does not believe Strauss's men are any better. "I don't think they've improved at all," Siddle said. "Obviously they've got Steven Finn who has come in, but that's about the only thing that's changed.

"They haven't been scoring a mountain of runs, so I don't think there's too much to worry about there. It's the same team we played over there and they're in our conditions now and it's definitely going to be a lot tougher for them."