England's tail is easy pickings for Aussie quicks: Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood has declared Australia need only four or five wickets to crack England's fragile batting order during the Boxing Day Test.

England's tailenders will continue to be peppered with bouncers as Australia hunt a 4-0 lead in the five-Test series.

It is a ploy that has been remarkably successful this summer. The tourists' six innings so far have all finished with collapses.

"We know if we get them four or five down then we can really go through that bottom half pretty quickly," Hazlewood said.

"On any wicket.

"So we don't really need much in the wicket to take those last six wickets. It's about grinding it out, getting those first four or five.

"That's been one of the big differences, our middle to lower order has wagged a fair bit this summer."

Former England captain Mike Atherton has called on umpires of the fourth and fifth Tests to more stringently enforce intimidatory bowling laws.

England's No.11 Jimmy Anderson denied asking umpires to take such action amid the bouncer barrage Australia have directed at the tourists' tailenders.

"I was not quizzing the umpires or asking them to stop it happening. I was just interested in their opinion," Anderson wrote in his UK column in The Telegraph.

"They (umpires) say at Test level you should be able to handle short balls. That is a clear message to get in the nets and practice.

"We just need to get better at playing them."

Hazlewood has cranked up his pace this summer, a trait that will come in handy on what he terms the flattest Test pitch in Australia.

The Tamworth product was previously renowned as someone who rarely broke the 140 km/h barrier.

But he has been clocked at almost 150 km/h this series, troubling England's batsmen with his pace and bounce.

ENGLAND'S INNINGS-ENDING COLLAPSES THIS SERIES

* 6-56 & 4-10 at the Gabba

* 3-19 & 7-64 at Adelaide Oval

* 6-35 & 5-46 at the WACA