Mitchell Johnson - An enigma who could decimate and intimidate opponents

Mitchell Johnson was on his days devastating with the ball but on occasions, he would be plagued by self-doubt and would be erratic.

Mitchell Johnson is best remembered for taking 37 wickets in the 2013/14 Ashes campaign against England. (Image credit: Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Nov 2, 2021 | 4 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

For a brief moment of time, he had gotten back the intimidation factor for bowlers. In the era of flat wickets, big bats, and small boundaries, bowlers were reduced to being fodder for batsmen with big hits. Here was a bowler who had raw pace, a left-armer with a slingshot action that gave opponents some tense moments. He was quick, hurt batsmen and for a brief while, became the best bowler in the world. But, Mitchell Johnson was much more than the left-armer who raised the intimidation quotient. When he was on song, there was none better. But, when he lost rhythm, Johnson would be really bad.

When he entered into the big bad world of Australian cricket, former pace legend Dennis Lillee had hailed him as ‘once in a generation cricketer’. In domestic and youth cricket, there would be horror stories of batsmen being blown away by the pace of Johnson. But, the occasional bouts of nervousness that would accompany him at all stages sometimes got the better of him. It was a career that symbolized the ups and downs of Australian cricket at a time when their empire had crumbled.

The arrival of Mitchell Johnson

After having made a big splash in the Australian domestic circuit, Johnson was selected in the ODI tri-series in Malaysia in 2006 that involved India and the West Indies. In a brilliant spell of bowling, Johnson swung the ball late and had stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, and Irfan Pathan. That haul of 4/11 was a promise of something bigger.

The true promise of Johnson came in the 2008 Perth Test against South Africa. In a magnificent spell of bowling, he took five wickets for two runs and ended with figures of 8/61. It would not be the first time that Johnson would decimate South Africa. Although Australia lost their first series at home after 16 years, it was Johnson who left a mark. In the Sydney Test, he broke the arm of Proteas skipper Graeme Smith to symbolize his effectiveness.

When Australia went to South Africa in 2009, it was Johnson who bloodied the South Africans into submission. He hit Hashim Amla, broke Smith’s arm again in the Durban Test, and also managed to strike a blow at Jacques Kallis. His haul of 4/25 was intimidation at his best as Australia won the series 2-1 to exact revenge on South Africa.

Johnson slumps but stages a huge redemption

From the highs of his performance against South Africa, Johnson had to endure the failings of two Ashes campaigns. In one Test in Lord’s, Johnson was plagued by issues off the field and lost focus. His bowling suffered. It was at that time when he became part of the infamous sledge by the Barmy Army of England. ‘He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is s***e’.

It was a damning indictment of his talent. In between, he had five-wicket hauls against India in Mohali as well as a fine haul in Leeds. But, the sledge by the Barmy Army hurt Johnson immensely. In 2012, it seemed his career was over after he had a toe injury during the Johannesburg Test that forced him off action for a couple of months.

At that time, Australia’s bowling stocks rose and it seemed like Johnson would spend a considerable time on the sidelines. A stint with Mumbai Indians in IPL 2013 once again gave him the hunger to perform. The bowling performances with Mumbai Indians helped the side win the IPL for the first time. By the time the IPL was done, Johnson had now charted a story of redemption which would result in an extraordinary summer of 2013/14.

Johnson and the magic of 2013/14

If there was one summer in which the cricket world celebrated the renaissance of fast bowling, it was the 2013/14 summer. Johnson was at the forefront of some devastating spells of bowling. It all started with the Ashes of 2013/14. Australia had not secured the Urn for four years and they were desperate.

Using the bouncer as a potent weapon and changing the angles to bowl with incredible pace, Johnson was a sight to behold. His nine wickets in Brisbane set the tone for an incredible Ashes. The spell in Adelaide, which made many think about the intimidation brought by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, was a sight to behold.

Johnson’s 7/40 was the perfect blueprint of bowling, pace, skill, accuracy, and aggression all combined to blow England away. After intimidating spells in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, Johnson ended the Ashes with 37 wickets as Australia achieved a 5-0 whitewash. If this was a one-off, then opponents had another thing coming.

During the series in South Africa, Johnson was at his brutal best in the Centurion Test as he took 12 wickets to help Australia breach South Africa’s fortress. His 22 wickets in the series, combined with 37 earlier, made him one of the best bowlers in the world. There was aggression, there was hostility and the pace quotient made Johnson an X-factor.

The end of Mitchell Johnson’s career

After the highs of 2013/14, Johnson could not scale those heights again. He had an occasional burst of brilliance but he struggled for consistency. In 2015, he retired just before the Pink Ball Test in Adelaide. He reckoned he was not a big fan of the innovation, maintaining the novelty of Test cricket in its old-school style.

Johnson ended his career with 313 Test wickets. It is the most by any Australian left-arm pacer. He is on an elite list when it comes to left-arm pacers in cricket. It was a shame that his career was plagued with so many pitfalls. But, when in full flow, there was no better sight in world cricket than Johnson and the bouncer.





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