Former Australia speedster Glenn McGrath feels there’s nothing wrong with Mitchell Johnson’s bowling and advised his protege to sort out “the mental side of things” as the left-arm pacer struggles to find form in the ongoing Ashes series against England.

McGrath, who has been Australia’s most successful fast bowler with 563 Test wickets, has been mentoring Johnson over the past two years and thinks the left-arm pacer needs to keep a clear mind and not worry too much about technical problems.

“A lot of people will be giving Mitch all kinds of technical advice, saying his bowling arm is too low when delivering the ball or his wrist position is wrong, but in my experience, these losses of form are nearly always mental issues, rather than technical ones,” McGrath said.

“He had a bit of a lay-off before the Australians came over here, and you cannot always just pick up from where you left off,” the 39-year-old was quoted as saying by ‘The Australian’.

“What I would say to Mitch is that he hasn’t lost any of the ability that makes him one of the most talented all-round cricketers in the world.

“If Mitch can sort out the mental side of things, I’m convinced everything else would fall into place,” said McGrath.

The injured Brett Lee said he and the other bowlers had been talking to Johnson to boost his confidence.

“Everyone’s been chatting to him and offering their advice. I’ve been offering my advice,” Lee said.

“It’s not like I’m standing up the front of the class room telling him what to do. Mitch is running ideas around. Everyone’s in it together. He got his opportunity in South Africa and really took it,” said the injured pacer.

“He’s obviously searching for a lot more wickets, but it’s not a matter of everyone being panicked and stressed out, saying what’s going on.”

Lee emphasised the need of keeping faith in Johnson. “It’s very important we keep sound with him, keep faith in ourselves and keep backing our ability. That’s why Australia’s done well.”

A veteran of two Ashes tours to England, Lee feels bowling in English conditions requires some adjustments.

“The key word over here is patience. Playing in Australia and South Africa, it’s more conducive to fast bowling, particularly in South Africa.

“It’s just so important when you’re on wickets that are benign and aren’t conducive to fast bowling, you’ve got to find a way to get around that,” said Lee.

Former Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has risked reclaiming top spot in the league of failed Ashes pundits by predicting Australia will sweep England 5-0 in the Ashes starting on Wednesday.

McGrath made the prediction to The Australian newspaper, repeating the famous forecast he made for the 2005 series in England … which the hosts won 2-1 against expectations and after losing the series-opening match. That was England’s first Ashes series win since Australia reclaimed the old urn under Allan Border in 1989.

Though few gamblers would back an Australian clean sweep this year, McGrath said he is not being silly and his forecast is solidly based.

“My prediction is it will be 5-0 to Australia,” McGrath said. “I’ve got total confidence in the boys, especially watching the way they played in South Africa in the last Test series.

“I thought that would have given them a lot of confidence. They showed what they can do and the huge potential that they’ve got.

“If they can do the same here and maybe even improve in one or two areas they will do really well and probably win 5-0.”

McGrath, who retired two years ago with 563 Test wickets, has been working with Australia’s fast bowlers ahead of the Ashes series.

He was among the exodus of seasoned stars to retire from Test cricket after Australia reclaimed the Ashes 5-0 on home soil in 2006/07.

A month after he retired without the cheering fans and the lap of honour, Australian opener Matthew Hayden is all set for a grand farewell in Sydney this weekend.

The big-hitting opener has been confirmed for Sunday’s Twenty20 extravaganza in Sydney to raise funds for the Bushfires Appeal.

He will team up with other retired legends like Steve Waugh, Mark Taylor and Glenn McGrath in the charity match.

Hayden announced his retirement last month, days after his final Test against South Africa at the SCG thus missing the kind of grand farewell Waugh, McGrath and Shane Warne got after calling it quits.

Sunday’s match is aiming to raise more than 500,000 Australian dollars for the victims of the bushfire that has ravaged Victoria.