Jason Gillespie has hailed England’s bowling performance during the opening day of last year’s Boxing Day Test match at Melbourne as the best he has seen.

Jimmy Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan were among the wickets as the Aussies were skittled for just 98, and Yorkshire’s new first-team coach uses it as the perfect example when trying to coach bowling.

It was a day’s cricket that contributed to Ricky Ponting’s men being labelled as their country’s worst team in decades.

A year on, and Australia are preparing to face India in the latest Boxing Day Test on the back of two drawn series against South Africa and New Zealand.

They are a team in transition. Michael Clarke is the new captain, they have a new-look batting line-up and a new-look bowling line-up, which is something that excites former fast bowler Gillespie.

“I use this example in my coaching. When England bowled Australia out for 98 at Melbourne, I haven’t seen a group of fast bowlers bowl that well,” explained the 36-year-old.

“They were a group together. I saw the pitch maps and how they bowled on that particular surface. You don’t need to coach, you just need to put that up on a big screen and say ‘watch that, that’s how you bowl’.

“Everyone talks about Australia’s decline, but I think that takes away a bit from other countries.

“When you think of England, India and South Africa, they have all worked incredibly hard, and I don’t think you can just say ‘oh, Australia’s declined’.

“Australia haven’t performed as well as they could have, and have probably dipped a little. But other teams have shot through and played some wonderful cricket, and I think those teams have to be acknowledged.”

Australia could field a bowling attack including young guns James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc – both aged 21 – on Monday as teenage tyro Pat Cummins is injured.

They are the main reason why Gillespie is looking forward with optimism.

He continued: “As an Australian, it’s great to see these young quicks coming through.

“I’m big a rap for Pattinson and Starc, a left-arm fast bowler who is a good bowler. Pat Cummins as well. His fourth first-class game was his Test debut, and that’s pretty special.

“I like to see young quicks coming through any country. The fast bowler in me, I just love seeing fast bowling at Test level.

“I think there are a number of fast bowlers around the world who are quite exciting to watch, ones you’d pay to go and see or ones who you’d make a point of getting to the TV after work to watch them bowl.

“That is going to be an important factor with Test cricket moving forward and people watching it.

“In addition, Australia have got Ben Hilfenhaus waiting in the wings, while Peter Siddle is a very good bowler.

“He’s probably slipped under the radar a little bit with all these young guys coming in, but he’s still getting four, five wickets a Test match and doing a very good job.

“There are a number of fast bowlers coming through, which bodes well for the future of Australian cricket.”

Even so, Gillespie, who took 259 Test wickets, knows there is plenty of work to be done ahead of the next Ashes series in 2013.

He added: “At the moment, the teams above Australia are there because they’re better. Australia have realised they can’t hide behind that. It’s up to coaches, it’s up to the players, to find solutions.”