Mitchell Starc can't wait to see how England handle chin music on a pitch more potent than the uncharacteristically docile deck they have so far encountered in the first Test..
The strip used for the Ashes opener has so far offered limited assistance for pacemen from both sides, with England veteran Jimmy Anderson labelling it a "very un-Gabba-like wicket, very slow and sort of stodgy".
Starc and Pat Cummins sent down the occasional short-pitched delivery on day one of the first Test then kicked it up a notch on Friday's morning session, unleashing a bouncer barrage at the tourists' tail.
Stuart Broad, whose nose was broken by a nasty bouncer from India's Varun Aaron in 2014, looked decidedly uncomfortable in the early stages of his innings.
Broad, Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow were all out pulling short balls.
"I can't wait to bowl on a fast wicket against these guys, if that's the way they're going to play it on a slow wicket," Starc told ABC Radio.
"It's going to be great for us to take them on, on a fast wicket, and see how they react to that.
"It's probably not the sort of Gabba wicket we're used to, it started out a lot slower on day one than it normally does.
"The first two days was a bit of a slog with the ball."
Jake Ball denied Australia's pacemen had any aura about them, noting there is "a balance of just letting them bowl bouncers at you and trying to score".
"Our batters have their plans and a lot of them have done a lot of work on the short ball and are comfortable playing the pull and the hook," Ball said.
"It's down to them whether they want to play it or not.
"For a period we looked very comfortable (against the short ball), just working it around the corner, getting the ones and ticking the scoreboard over."
Starc, Anderson, Ball and Nathan Lyon all agreed the game was in the balance at stumps on day two, with Australia to resume at 4-165 - still trailing by 137 runs.
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