88: Mitchell Johnson

73 matches. 313 wickets @ 28.41. Strike rate: 51.12. 12x 5wi.

9 years. 3x good. 2x excellent. 3x outstanding.

The discussion

People saw Mitchell Johnson’s public persona on the Test stage and labelled him as a firebrand. A snarling, meaner-than-mean fast bowler who dished out bouncers and sledges with equal ferocity and frequency.

I have a different story to tell about Mitchell Johnson.

Mitchell Johnson grew up in my hometown — Townsville, Australia. Mitchell is 18 months older than me, and so played junior cricket in the age-group just above mine. I remember him playing on fields adjacent to mine, but I do not recall having played against him.

Mitchell was always a humble kid, quiet and respectful. So quiet in fact, that as good as he was as a junior cricketer, there was not the noise and commotion that was associated with his arrival on the international scene. Certainly, I did not have the sense that I was in the presence of a person that would go on to take over 300 wickets in the Test arena and terrorise batters all over the world. The Mitchell Johnson I witnessed was a far cry from the man you saw on your TV screens from 2005 to 2015. By the time I made my senior debut, Mitchell Johnson had been ‘discovered’ as a 17-year-old at a Brisbane pace bowling camp by the great Dennis Lillee and was well on his way to a first-class and international debut. Probably just as well for me. His on-field image as a fiery fast bowler could not be further from the person I knew as a cricketer growing up.

Mitchell Johnson put everything he had into bowling fast. It shows in both the highs and lows he experienced throughout his career. When he was on song, he was the best fast bowler on the planet. He was almost unplayable and extracted such pace and bounce that greats Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith were once forced to retire hurt in the same Test. In 2013/14, Johnson scythed through the English batting line-up in one of the most devastating performances of fast bowling that I have ever seen. He was incredible, unstoppable, irresistible. As his career evolved, so too did Johnson’s array of skills. He learned to swing the ball at pace, making him a devastating prospect at his best.

In other series, notably 2009 and 2013 (prior to his comeback in the Ashes) Johnson demonstrated the other side of his Jekyll and Hyde nature. A lack of control and consistency led to the famous Barmy Army chant: ‘he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, Mitchell Johnson . . . ’. I will not dignify the remainder in print, not least because it is not true. Mitchell Johnson may not have always been in control of his deliveries, and sometimes interactions with fans and the media dented his confidence and subsequently his performance, but when he got it right — look out.

He was able to put those demons to rest in 2013/14 — his strike rates and averages in those series are as good a peak as any bowler in world cricket. The key point, in this case, is in the strike rates of his peak series — all well under 40, which is not only world-class, but also puts him alongside the all-time greats: Johnson’s career strike rate of 51.1, places him 17th on the all-time list of eligible players. He was a strike bowler, first and foremost.

The verdict

Mitchell Johnson was the kind of player that you hope to have on your team. If he was in the opposition, you were in for a torrid time. If he was on song, your innings was more than likely a short one before ‘Notch’ Johnson ripped out your middle stump or rattled your ribcage. And if it wasn’t his day, anything could happen.

In one word

Misunderstood

Notes

Bio

Record

Source: ESPN CricInfo

career peak

Sources: ESPN CricInfo