Injured quick Mitchell Starc has backed fellow left-armer Mitchell Johnson to play a key role for Australia in the Ashes series.

Starc, likely to miss the entire series due to a back injury, troubled the English batsmen in the three Tests he played earlier this year and said on Monday that a resurgent Johnson could wreak havoc with the opposition batting line-up on conducive Australian wickets.

Johnson consistently reached speeds of 150km/h in the one-day series in India and unsettled the home batsmen with his short ball on flat uncooperative wickets, before being brought home ahead of the final game to concentrate on his red-ball cricket – a sure sign selectors have him in the frame for the first Test beginning at the Gabba on November 21.

Starc said Johnson had been bowling consistently well and fast since the limited-overs series that followed the Ashes Tests in England and said he expected him to continue to do so.

“I think he has been bowling great and it probably started in the limited-overs series in England,” Starc said.

“He was bowling really, really quick and getting some swing and he has continued on with that.

“It’s great to see him in full flight and bowling fast and I think he will play a part in the Ashes series.

“Looking at the way some of the Poms played him over in England and the difficulty some of them had with the short ball, Mitchell bowling at 150, 155 (km/h) in Australian conditions, he could really wreak some havoc if he gets the chance.

“He looks like he is really, really enjoying his cricket and looking to bowl as fast as he can.”

However the diagnosis isn’t so good for Starc who will get a better idea of his immediate future when he goes for CT scans on his back in three weeks. But a best-case scenario return for him is likely to be late January, ruling him out of any participation in the return Ashes series.