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I'm not afraid to wield axe, vows Lehmann

Head coach says selection philosophy remains the same: pick the best XI to win the match in prevailing conditions

Darren Lehmann says Australia's selectors would not shy away from making changes after the heavy first Test loss in Cardiff.

Chasing 412 to win, Australia started promisingly before a top-order collapse of 5-25 either side of lunch ended hopes of an unlikely victory to eventually lose by 169 runs and hand a one-nil series lead to the hosts.

While a raft of changes may not be necessary according to Bupa Support Team head coach Lehmann, the 27-Test player says he and the National Selection Panel would make tough calls if warranted.

Video: Lehmann's press conference in full

"We'll certainly have a look at the wicket and work out what our best XI is to win in those conditions and if that means we've got to make changes, we'll make changes," Lehmann said.

"That won't be an issue for us as a selection panel.

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Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh and Lehmann chat in Cardiff // Getty Images

"We picked a touring squad to retain (the Ashes) and win the series and we certainly did that in the West Indies but that's gone and we can't control the past and we can't control what just happened.

"What we can do is learn from it and make sure we make the right decisions going forward and that's selection and just the way we play."

Video: Analysing England's bowling plans

Australia remained in Cardiff on a sodden Sunday as rain that would have made a fifth's day play nigh on impossible pelted Wales. The squad travels to London on Monday for the second Test at Lord's starting Thursday (8pm AEST) with several members of the starting XI under pressure to retain their place or win a race against fitness.

Quick Single: Aussies buoyed by Starc update

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc battled an ankle injury after leaving the field late on day one before returning to claim five first innings wickets with a noticeable limp and is in doubt if he fails to regain full health.

"We'll just have to see how he pulls up," Lehmann said. "He's going to have to be 100 per cent from our point of view.

Video: Starc bowls through pain to collect Cook (Aus only)

"It's a big series so for us making sure he's right to go we'll make that decision after we speak to the medicos in the next couple of days."

Although it now looks increasingly likely Starc would be fit to play at Lord's, if he was unable to get up for the Home of Cricket, Australia would be down two fast bowlers after veteran Ryan Harris announced his immediate retirement last week with a career-ending knee injury sustained in the first tour match in Canterbury.

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Starc pulls up in pain in second innings at Cardiff // Getty Images

But Lehmann was confident Australia's touring party has the depth to cover the loss of Starc should he fail to recover from the right ankle soreness in time.

"We're lucky enough to have a few (fast bowlers) waiting in the wings," he said.

"Patrick Cummins has joined us and he's ready to go. Peter Siddle has played a lot of Test match cricket.

"Again, we'll have to wait, weigh up and see how Mitchell Starc goes in the next couple of days and make a decision.

"But we've got enough in the armoury to get 20 wickets."

Video: Watson falls LBW in second dig (Aus only)

After edging out Mitchell Marsh for the allrounder spot, Shane Watson's position in the batting order has again come under fire after posting scores of 30 and 18 without taking a wicket.

Lehmann says it was "very close" between the two competing allrounders for the first Test berth, and that it's again "going to be a tight call heading into the second Test."

Watson was out leg before wicket twice in the first Test, the 28th and 29th times in his career, which makes the 34-year-old the most trapped Australian batsman in Test history (minimum 50 innings).

"Yeah he'd be disappointed with that, so are we," said Lehmann.

"You don't want to get out lbw all the time and you want to make more runs.

Video: Watson falls lbw to Broad on day three

"He's doing everything he possibly can to rectify that and the first innings was a tight call, a tight call again (in the second innings) so it's one of those things you've got to find a way and that's probably what we didn't do as a batting group, not just Shane.

"(Watson's has to) find a way to get through those tough times and make England come back spell after spell and that's what you do when you make big scores and we didn't do that in this game."

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