Having fired themselves up for the first Ashes Test at the Gabba by watching footage of the destruction wrought by Johnson in 2013-14 Australia's pace trio, Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, put their feet up on match eve.

Yet while questions remained about whether David Warner (neck) and Shaun Marsh (back) would suit up due to a stiff neck, the Test captain has no doubt whatsoever about his strike weapons with the ball after experiencing firsthand what they have in store for England.

Being frightened against fast bowlers became a touchy subject in the lead-up to this series when former England wicketkeeper Matt Prior reacted angrily to claims by Nathan Lyon that he had been scared to face Johnson on their last Test tour here. Smith, however, was not afraid to admit his express duo, Starc and Cummins, had given him a fearful working over in practice.

"Looking back to 2013-14, when Mitchell [Johnson] was bowling in the nets ... these guys are just as nasty, if not more nasty to be perfectly honest," Smith said.

"A couple of the net sessions I have had against Cummins and Starc have been quite scary so that is really exciting for us. The bowlers have certainly been looking forward to this series. It's been no real secret that these three have been on the radar to play this game for a very long time.

"They have been working up towards this. They are here now, they are fresh, they are bowling fast and I think it is a really exciting time for this team."

There has been a concerted effort by the hosts to try and replicate the 5-0 thumping of England here four years ago, from watching Johnson wreaking havoc to having fielding coach Brad Haddin speak to the team about the culture behind that triumphant side.

Yet the glaring difference from Michael Clarke's line-up is the fact there is no obvious fifth bowling option at Smith's disposal this time around. The result is that he may not be able to utilise Starc as Johnson was – in explosive three or four-over bursts without a great deal of care for accuracy – but he declared on Wednesday that his quicks, appearing together for the first time in a Test, could hold their speed over longer spells.

"In an ideal world ... that would be how I would use them as much as I could," Smith said. "Back in 2013-14 we had the luxury of someone like Shane Watson there bowling 15 overs an innings. He kept things really tight and gave those bowlers an extra rest so Johnson could come on and do what he did.

"We have only got four frontline bowlers here at the moment. At times I will try to use him in shorter spells but they are also comfortable bowling a little bit longer. I know that some of them, when they get into rhythm, they like to keep on going and they actually bowl a bit quicker at the back end of their spells."

England captain Joe Root reacted by putting the pressure back on Australian fast bowlers on Wednesday. "They've done some good stuff for Australia in the past, but for all three of them it's their first Ashes series in Australia," Root said.

"I'm sure they'll be feeling the heat. There's been a lot of noise, and comparisons made about them, and they've now got to go and try to replicate that. A lot of the guys have played against these fellas before, and know what they're going to bring to the table."

Smith himself demonstrated his willingness to provide bowling support himself by rolling the arm over in training this week, a rarity for him these days. He also believes that Lyon can prosper against a cavalcade of left-handed England batsmen.

Ultimately, if Smith can get the best out of his attack it will go a long way to prevailing in a series that is enormous for him as a captain of a team ranked fifth in the world. Even the Barmy Army have a song for him, niggling him about his Decision Review System controversy in India in the autumn.

"That's brilliant," Smith laughed when told about the tune. "I am sure it will all be good fun out there."