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Melbourne: Fast bowling coach Troy Cooley, who helped England win the Ashes last year, says Australia have the superior pacemen going into this year's encounter.
The Tasmanian-born Cooley was largely credited with improving the England attack last summer and helped Simon Jones become the world's foremost reverse swing bowler.
Jones, Andrew Flintoff, Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison took a combined 75 wickets.
But Cooley, who left the England post to head up Cricket Australia's school of excellence for fast bowlers in December, said after watching Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee in action recently he was confident Australia had the superior attack.
"I think we have," he said when asked who had the better strikeforce. "They have a very good, formidable attack, and on our day when they're all firing, it'll be a good shootout," he said.
"I'm sure they'll be getting themselves organised. They're very good at looking after themselves, and it will be good to see them over here firing, ready to go."
Uncomplicated Action
Cooley oversaw a net session with Lee at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday and said his rhythm and action looked good.
"He looks in pretty good nick at the moment. The biggest thing is making sure his workload comes up to scratch and he's ready to play.
"It's a very unique style and it's uncomplicated, and if we can keep it that way it'll stand him in good stead."
Cooley said he would be aiming to instill the kind of reverse swing skills that helped the likes of Jones, who is set miss the series later this year through injury.
"You want to try and have all the deliveries under your belt. Reverse swing is one of them, and if the conditions suit, you really want the bowler to be able to use that ball.
"We'll be trying those sort of things. If conditions suit, we'll definitely try to take advantage of it." The first match of the five-Test Ashes series starts in Brisbane on November 23.
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