Harris - We've got the edge

Ryan Harris is convinced Australia's series-levelling victory in Perth will give them a psychological advantage over England for the remaining two Ashes Tests.

Harris took six second-innings wickets at the WACA - finishing, like Mitchell Johnson, with nine in the match - as England folded on the third evening and fourth morning to lose by 267 runs. And after his own career-best performance, Harris is already sensing England may find it tough to turn things around at the MCG.

"They'll go away and work pretty hard during the week, but I do think we've got an edge over them a bit going into that big Test," he said.

The home support in a traditional full house at one of the world's biggest sporting stadia will be a test of anyone's mettle.

Harris has never sampled the atmosphere from the stand or the middle before, but he said: "A hundred-thousand crowd, it's a big occasion. Sitting back every Christmas and watching the Boxing Day Test as an Australian sends shivers down your spine.

"Actually playing in it, the thought of it gets you nervous. It's going to be an amazing feeling - if I'm picked.

"I actually got a text before from my surgeon, who's looking after my knee, and he said 'a hundred thousand people at the MCG, you're going to enjoy it'. He got me thinking that it's going to be a great feeling, especially now with the series 1-1."

Harris expects his chronic knee injury to withstand the strains of two more Tests, having had little discomfort from it either in Adelaide two weeks ago or in Perth.

He believes he can improve his bowling too, an ominous claim for England.

"I wasn't very happy with the way I bowled - the feeling I had wasn't great," he said after his second-innings six for 47 in the tourists' 123 all out. "The 'positive' out of that is that I've taken six wickets. But I've got a few things to work on in Melbourne - which I'll do."