Starc taunts England over their uncertainty

Mitchell Starc has effectively dared England to prepare a seaming pitch for the Edgbaston Test, and declared changes to the hosts' batting order show Australia have the upper hand in the series.

Much speculation surrounds the character of the wicket to be used in Birmingham after Alastair Cook and Trevor Bayliss both said they wanted livelier pitches for the rest of the series after being well beaten on a flat surface at Lord's.

It was music to Starc's ears. "We'll be licking our lips. Don't worry," he said. "They're 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."

The pitch is currently quite well grassed, and it remains to be seen whether it will be shaved and brushed as Cardiff and Lord's both were.

"They want to get their bowlers back in the game, but we've got the pace as well," Starc added. "So I think as Michael said, maybe last week, it doesn't matter what they dish up. We've got all bases covered, we've just got to adjust to the conditions the quickest.

"They're searching for some form after Lord's and have made a change with Gary Ballance out. They've brought in Jonny, 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."

Starc struggled with an ankle problem in Cardiff and has had cortisone injected into the joint.

After using the example of Ryan Harris to push through the pain, he was better at Lord's and expects to be freer still at Edgbaston although was sketchy on the intricate details of his problem after previously having surgery for ankle bone spurs in 2013.

"I don't actually know. You'd have to ask the medical guys. All I know is it was quite sore. I got through that week in Cardiff and it felt a lot better at Lord's. Miles better than what it was. So hopefully it keeps getting better and hopefully it's gone this week.

"It was on the inside this time, not the outside. So there's no spurs there, as people have said or written about. No spurs there at the moment. I'm sure they will probably come back one day, but at the moment I think it's just bone on bone. The cortisone is going to help that and hopefully get me through the rest of the tour."

Young pace bowlers need to learn what Brett Lee calls the "difference between good pain and bad pain", and Starc appears to have made that distinction on this tour.

"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," he said. "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."