Former Australian spearhead Craig McDermott, who was bowling coach during the 5-0 win in 2013-14, said an attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will have the high-level pace to consistently trouble an uncertain England line-up.

Australia's pace attack of four years ago was built on Mitchell Johnson's terrifying speed and swing along with the metronomic line and length of Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle. Cummins' return to the Test side in the past year after a long battle with injury has given Steve Smith's side even more of a ferocious edge - something England's attack will lack.

McDermott, who took 291 wickets in 71 Tests for Australia, said Starc was in "awesome form" and would lead a "top-notch" attack.

"Nathan Lyon also bowls well at the Gabba. Last Ashes series here, obviously Mitchell Johnson along with Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, put the Poms on their backside. Hopefully, Mitchell Starc can do the same thing," he said.

"He is bowling quick, swinging the ball, he is bowling good reverse [swing] - he has that many variations to his bowling now both over and around the wicket. Josh Hazlewood is equally as good along with Pat Cummins who has been bowling really well.

"We will have more aggression this time. We will have Starcy plus Cummins as well and Josh Hazlewood is not backwards in coming forwards these days, either. It's great if we can have three blokes bowling well - keeping the ball up at the Gabba and, at other places around Australia, allowing the ball to swing both normally and in reverse."

Australia's attack of four years ago was so ferocious and balanced that it was able to hunt "like hyenas round a dying zebra", according to former England batsman Jonathan Trott who left the tour after the Brisbane Test because of stress.

McDermott said while James Anderson and Stuart Broad are two of England's greatest bowlers, the overall lack of pace among their three-man attack will hurt in Australian conditions. It's an issue former England Ashes hero Bob Willis has also raised.

Statistics given to Fairfax Media by analytics company CricViz show Anderson's average speed since 2016 has dropped to 133.3km/h while Broad's has dipped to 134.9. Chris Woakes, expected to play as the third seamer, also does not boast pure pace, averaging 134.7km/h. This compares to an Australian attack where Starc and Cummins will average more than 140km/h - Starc sent down a 160.4km/h thunderbolt against New Zealand at the WACA in 2015 - while Hazlewood is regularly around the 135km/h mark but has touched 140km/h in this summer's Sheffield Shield.

McDermott said England's lack of speed could hurt in their attempt to consistently take 20 wickets in a match.

"I think so. You do that need that extra ball speed. Ball speed is paramount," he said.

"Anderson is a magnificent bowler ... but he has always struggled in Australia with the Kookaburra ball. And, obviously, Broad is down on pace from where he was out here last time.

"The Poms bowled way too short when they were out here last time. So, hopefully, they do that again. They are used to lower and slower wickets."

Broad, who has straightened his run up, has spoken about the need this time to build pressure, "swarm" new batsmen at the crease and even set slightly more defensive fields.

"We're not going to blast the Australians out. We don't have a Brett Lee-type bowler who can bowl 95 mp/h reverse-swinging yorkers. We have to do what we do. You have to adjust length a bit. If you bowl that slightly fuller length, you get belted," he said.

Said McDermott: "If they say they are going to try and do that, maybe they are but they certainly didn't do that last time. They had [Tim] Bresnan and a whole heap of them just bowling back of a length and the balls were never going to hit the stumps. They were never going to get lbws or bowleds, so that was good for us."

Broad claimed 21 wickets at an average of 27.5 in 2013-14 but swing-king Anderson had another trip to forget, pocketing only 14 wickets at 43.9. His overall record here is 43 wickets at 38.44 in 13 Tests.

Anderson, 35, has enjoyed a superb 2017, claiming 39 wickets at 14.1 in seven Tests, but this will be his last chance to rectify his poor record in Australia.

Woakes also faces a potentially harrowing trip, for his record away from home is miserable. In 11 Tests at home he has 42 wickets at 24.3 but, in seven Tests on the road, has only harvested eight wickets at 63.8. He has bowled well in a warm-up match against a Cricket XI in Townsville but the tourists admit that counts for little for the opposition was so inexperienced.