Monday, 20 November 2017: Australia have put England on notice to expect some heat in the Ashes opener, with the hosts fired up after hearing tales of Mitchell Johnson's 2013-14 magic.

Australia have rewatched and revelled in Mitchell Johnson's intimidation masterclass, now they want England to relive the "fear" and "anxiety" they experienced while crumbling four years ago.

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The build-up to the Ashes opener, that starts on Thursday in Brisbane, had been low-key and largely full of pleasantries with the exception of David Warner's contribution last month.

That changed on Monday, when Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all put England on notice with some fighting words.

Lyon endorsed Warner's view about the value of hatred, noting "there's going to be heated moments ... I'm all for it. There's a line,we'll headbutt the line but we won't go over it."

Hazlewood agreed "there will be a certain level of hate on Thursday".

Lyon was even more forthright when asked about the prospect of putting England's inexperienced batting order under pressure, arguing "there's also some cracks underneath the surface ... Joe Root got dropped last time he was out here".

It was reflective of Lyon's confidence, brimming after a career-best year, but also the mindset he, Warner, Brad Haddin and Steve Smith helped instil in the squad on Sunday.

The quartet told tales about 2013-14, sharing insights about the adrenaline and added pressure that comes with cricket's most hyped contest.

There was also chat about Johnson. There always is whenever anybody discusses the series in which he claimed a staggering 37 wickets and left English batsmen fearing for their life.

Cummins, Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc did more than just talk about it, watching highlights of Johnson terrorise the tourists in Brisbane as he set the stage for a 5-0 series win.

"A couple of their bowlers - Stuey Broad and (James) Anderson - from our point of view they looked like they didn't want to be out there," Cummins recalled.

"They'd try and swerve away from balls before he'd kind of even released them. Hopefully we can create that kind of anxiety.

"It put fear in them. When they were sitting around waiting to bat, in between games they were thinking about him, how they were going to face him."

Cummins and Starc both boast the ability to hit the 150 km/h mark, with Hazlewood suggesting the express pacemen could potentially be used in three and four over spells like Johnson was in 2013-14.

"If the situation dictates that they might go in short spells but they're capable of bowling whatever the captain needs," Hazlewood said.

"They're both really fit guys ... I faced him (Starc) the other day which was fun. They're definitely coming out fast."

Hazlewood felt England's attack would be unable to match Australia for aggression.

But amid all the talk of fire and brimstone in what will be the first Test that Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc have played together in, Hazlewood noted it was important to bowl smartly.

"We've talked about that in the last few days. It's not about going over the top with the aggression," he said.

"It's about making a statement and taking those early wickets and putting those middle-order guys under the pump."