Glenn McGrath: Don't allow this party to fall flat

Everyone knows how unpredictable the weather can be in England and that groundsmen have a difficult job.

But we need to remember that it is not only the Ashes which are at stake but the future of Test cricket itself, especially with the continued rise of Twenty20.

I have not heard good reports about the wicket at Edgbaston and this worries me.

I know it hasn't been an easy job to prepare it because of the poor weather but Ian Bell said yesterday that the wickets there all season have been perfect for batting.

If the wickets in the next three Tests are slow and dull, to give England the best possible chance of scraping three draws, it will turn people away from the game.

One of the reasons the Test game is losing out to the shorter forms of cricket is that the wickets around the world have favoured the batting teams far too much.

There is no character in so many of the pitches these days and nothing in them for the bowlers.

If the bowler is running in hard and bending his back, he should get some reward from the pitch if he lands the ball in the right spot.

Test cricket should always be enjoyable to watch and, fortunately, this Ashes series has been exactly that so far.

Let's just hope it stays that way and that we don't have to sit through any boring draws on lifeless wickets.

A number of people have suggested that this Australia side lack the aggression of previous ones - notably the teams that I played in - and that England have been able to take advantage of that in the first two Tests.

While I don't believe Cricket Australia needed to send out letters to the players explaining how they should behave on the pitch, there is a very good reason why this Aussie side are not as "in your face" as the team I played in.

If you are sledged by an inexperienced team, you do not take it as seriously and, despite their success in South Africa, this team do not have the same experience or the same aura as the team did a few years ago.

Six or seven players have left the team - including some pretty big names like Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden - and it takes a while to regain that aura.

Teams do not view Australia with the same apprehension any more and that is not something this side can re-establish overnight.

Yes, we used to get in the faces of the opposition and we were aggressive on the field of play but we knew it was something we could back up with our skills.

Teams who sledge you but then can't back up their words with their skills simply look ridiculous, as England have during Ashes series in the past.

The best way for Australia to develop that aura is, of course, by winning more key series and overturning the 1-0 deficit in this one to retain the Ashes would be a great way to move towards that goal.

Even though fast bowler Mitchell Johnson is struggling, I hope the Australian selectors stick with him at Edgbaston.

I firmly believe that Mitchell needs only one good spell to regain his best form but if they were to leave him out, it would knock him out even more and take him even longer to get back.

That said, this Australian seam attack lacks a bit of consistency and it would be no surprise to see Stuart Clark brought into the side.

Stewie has a great Ashes record - he took 26 wickets at an average of 17 in 2006/07 - and bowled well in Australia's recent tour match at Northampton.

A lot of people have compared his bowling style to mine and the good thing about his action is that very little can go wrong with it. Even if he has a bad day, he will be only slightly off the mark.

He gets close to the stumps, has a nice, high action and his height means he can get good bounce.

If he is chosen, I would expect Stewie to bowl well at Ravi Bopara, who comes into the Third Test under a bit of pressure.

From what I have seen, he is a player I certainly wouldn't have minded having a bowl to.

Bopara hasn't done too much in this Ashes series so far. He had two lucky escapes with catches in the second innings at Lord's but he still only made 27.

First and foremost, he needs to concentrate on being effective as a batsman. Given his low scores so far, this game is a test of character for him and I am interested to see how he responds.

With Bell and Paul Collingwood, Bopara is part of a middle-order that is potentially a weak link in the England side, with Kevin Pietersen injured, so it is crucial that Australia remove one of the openers early.

England openers Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss piled on the runs at Lord's but if we can get on top of them straight away, we can expose that middle-order - and that is the way for Australia to win the game and draw level in the series.