Johnson retires from international cricket

[rkt.india]

A he foreshadowed before the WACA Test against New Zealand,Mitchell Johnson has had enough, and will retire immediately from international and first-class cricket at the end of the match.

In the lead-up to the match, Johnson said he was happy to keep playing "as long as I'm performing well and doing my job in the team then mentally I'm feeling pretty good", but this week, Johnson has been conclusively tamed by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, returning the figures of 1 for 157, the most expensive by an Australian bowler in all Tests in Perth.

His manager Sam Halvorsen was in the Australian dressing rooms on the fourth evening, as Johnson reached the painful decision to end his Test playing days.

"I feel now is the best time to say goodbye," Johnson said. "I have been lucky enough to have had a wonderful career and enjoyed every moment of playing for my country. It's been an incredible ride.

"But the ride has to come to an end at some point and to do so here at the WACA is very special. I've given the decision a lot of thought. Beyond this match, I'm just not sure that I can continue competing consistently at the level required to wear the baggy green.

"My career has certainly had its up and downs but I can honestly say I have given it my all and am proud of everything I have achieved. To win an Ashes series and a Cricket World Cup is something I will treasure forever.

"My family have been by my side throughout and I could not have achieved all I have without their support. They have made a lot of sacrifices, especially my beautiful wife Jess who has provided me with unconditional support, and I am incredibly grateful for that.

"They say the greatest thing about playing sport is the friends you make along the way and I have been fortunate enough to play and work with some incredible people and have cemented lifelong friendships.

"I would certainly like to thank the people of Australia, and all those around the world, who have supported me. The encouragement I have received has been extremely humbling and playing in front of them is certainly something I will miss."

Johnson has played 73 Tests, claiming 311 wickets for Australia, behind only Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee. He was the key figure in Australia's 5-0 Ashes sweep in 2013-14, claiming a staggering 37 wickets across the five Tests and leaving an indelible mark with his pace and intimidation.

A follow-up performance in South Africa further enhanced Johnson's reputation as one of the most frightening fast bowlers to have played the game, but his returns have trailed off gradually since, and after struggling for impact in the two Tests of this series against New Zealand he has decided to finish - doing so before the inaugural day/night Test in Adelaide, a concept he has been notably sceptical about.

His state coach Justin Langer paid tribute to Johnson's achievements. "Mitch's career has been a wonderful example of what is required to endure the rigours of a life of professional cricket," he said. "He was injury-ravaged early, written off, criticized and probably wondered whether he would ever make it.

"This in mind, it is a testament to his courage, resilience, and skill that he retires as one of Australia's greatest ever fast bowlers. As an athlete, he is peerless and few could bowl as fast.

"Above all that, it would be hard to meet a nicer bloke. Inside the tough exterior is an outstanding young man, who has been a credit to his family and the Australian cricket family."

Johnson's retirement rounds out a sequence of six exits from the national team around this year's unsuccessful defence of the Ashes in England. Ryan Harris, Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all left the stage before the home summer, and Johnson had admitted to thinking about joining them, only committing fully to playing a few weeks before the season began.

His decision has also coincided with the maturing of Mitchell Starc, who has developed consistency to go with his pace and swing and has notably outdone his more senior left-arm paceman at the WACA Ground. The dual use of Starc and Johnson in the same attack has been a source of considerable selection angst for several years, no more so than against England when they struggled for role definition as two strike bowlers in a four-man attack.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-new-zealand-2015-16/content/story/941569.html

[rkt.india]

Facing the fastest gun in the west

37

 

Mitchell Johnson: what you get when you cross an ox with a leopard © Getty Images

 

My trepidation and excitement for the new season were amplified when I heard Mitchell Johnsonwas to be available for a rare Sheffield Shield appearance, his first for Western Australia at the WACA. There can scarcely be a better way to measure how you are travelling as an opening batsman than to take on Mitch on the turf where he single-handedly destroyed South Africa andEngland with late-swinging missiles.

I can hear the sniggers already - 29 Test wickets at more than 38 apiece in the past 12 months are not numbers to inspire fear. One of the easiest pastimes of journalists and cricket watchers is mudslinging - spitting out stats and mouthfuls of mutterings that someone is no good. Their view may differ if they had a bat in hand and their career depended on the outcome.

The television does not do any justice to the physicality of Johnson. He looks like a cross between an ox and a leopard - or at least he did while bowling in the nets during the first day's warm-up. You could sense his calm as he walked, without arrogance but with conviction and confidence. Relaxed, shoulders back, chest out. Detractors have always said he oozed too much amiability. There is a fine line between being unaffected and being seen not to be a hard-nose. He certainly looked at ease with the world. They say you can tell a lot about a thoroughbred race horse from how it walks in the dress circle. Perhaps the same can be said of Mitch.

Those who watched him closely in Sri Lanka said he was close to being back to his best - even though the stats suggested otherwise. It seems he enjoyed being let loose, knowing that those bowling from the other end were going to play their role of shutting down the scoring and building pressure. Sometimes the whole is significantly greater than the sum of its parts.

The other thing the vantage point of the couch fails to show is raw pace. There is no doubt Mitch is quick, and it is only when you are the one who has to track the ball from his slingshot action that you gain full appreciation of the fact. Opening batsmen are used to it coming quickly, so when mid-pitch conversations suggest they are humming through, you know the bowler must be special. Batsmen are also excited by the challenge, knowing such pressure usually brings out the best of your reactions, with simple and pure thoughts.

Watching from behind the arm, as most close observers of the game prefer to do, does not convey a sense of how hard it is to pick up his first few deliveries. He rocks back after the familiar rhythmical approach, and then it seems you wait an eternity for the ball to be launched towards you. An ever-so-brief moment of panic can sweep across you as you realise he has let it go but you have not picked it up until the ball is halfway down. There is certainly some luck involved in getting through those early exchanges - if one delivery is on the money, your day can be over before it really begins. So much of the advance information gained by batsmen about the length of a delivery vanishes when the bowler possesses such an action.

Mitch, like Shaun Tait, who with his similarly low release point is an enigma of the modern game, possesses an x factor captains dream of having at their disposal. Some days even these bowlers don't know where it's going: I once saw a square-leg umpire have to duck a misguided Tait loosener. Moments later we were 4 for 1, after an inswinging yorker had forced one stodgy left-hander to use his bat as a crutch as he limped off with a shoe dripping blood. Tait has struggled to maintain his body for sustained bowling, but Mitch has been much more durable. That, too, is part of his appeal.

 

 

 

My plans at the WACA were simple. They had to be, against serious pace. I'd get on-side of the ball to negate the angle in, and not expect any swing away from my left-hander's stance. If it did swing, I felt I would adjust late

 

 

Successful batting can often be about rhythm - getting used to lengths and cues. It can sometimes feel as though you know the general vicinity in which the ball will land well before the bowler does. That is never the case with these cowboys. Balls can fly left, right and centre in the space of a few deliveries. Though a little unnerving at times, this also provides great scoring opportunities.

My plans at the WACA were simple. They had to be, against serious pace. I'd get on-side of the ball to negate the angle in, and not expect any swing away from my left-hander's stance. If it did swing, I felt I would adjust late. The plan was clear: get forward and look to push him down the ground, knowing square-of-the-wicket shots would come naturally as the innings progressed. I knew the best place to play was from the other end: clichéd, yes, but generally effective in resisting the new ball.

Sometimes even the best plans come unstuck. The first couple hit the bat rather than the other way around. Just to prove there is a huge gulf between the best and the rest of us, Ricky Ponting pulled his first ball from Mitch off his nose in front of square for a memorable boundary. I settled the nerves with a few well-hustled singles. Twenty balls in, I was becoming accustomed to the hurler's trajectory when a missile angled in and straightened down the line to beat the offered outside edge and cannon into the off bail. New-season dreams momentarily shattered by a ball too good and somewhat wasted on me.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/537783.html

[rkt.india]

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-new-zealand-2015-16/content/story/941595.html

[CoverDrive]

good bowler who become one of the best for a couple of years. Made the Ashes exciting to watch after a long time. 

[MechEng]

The only raw fast bowler since the retirements of Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar. 

A lot of people would remember him for Ashes 2013, but for me it's that tour to South Africa in 2009 where he bowled some great stuff, looked even more threatening than Lee at his prime.

[rkt.india]

only bowler after a long time who instilled fear into batsmen mind.

[Shivaji bhonsle]

Wow!. As Dennis Lillie said, he is a once in a generation bowler.

[express bowling]

He was a fast-bowler who did not need speed guns to prove that he was quick.

Really enjoyed watching him bowl.

It is not easy to frighten top  batsmen wearing all sorts of protective gears...but he managed.

Edited November 18, 2015 by express bowling

[Chalks]

He was a bit rocks and diamonds at times, but on his "on" days, there were very few bowlers who were more devastating.

His destruction of England in 2013/14 Ashes and other stellar performances (South Africa 2008/09) have been well documented, but last year he almost single-handedly won the game for Australia at the Gabba, just when India looked like claiming a rare first innings lead - first by slamming 88, and then taking four second innings wickets (incl. Kohli, Rahane, and Nohit).

There are very few bowlers I would pay to go and watch, but MJ was/is one of them.

Edited November 17, 2015 by Chalks

[India-KXIP fan]

 

[adi B]

Good test bowler,very good odi bowler.had a great purple patch last year and the best moment was the ashes 2013 ,literally scared the hell outta the poms .

The great thing about Mitchell Johnson is his strike rate (I rate strike bowlers in tests according to their strike rates) which is 51 .

Only blemish is his average in SC and England

[cric_fan]

Decent bowler. Nothing more.

Happy retirement.

[nevada]

Fragile and ferocious - a rare combo.

[Trundler27]

The one thing I like about aussies is their casual approach to retirement (in most cases). MJ was a fantastic talent. Anyone who takes over 300 test wickets ought to be way above average so congrats on a fantastic career to MJ.

Btw, how good are the aussies really? They once again lost a couple of superb bowlers and it looks like their bowling line-up is still going to be dominant (ryan harris and MJ gone one after the other). Hats off of their domestic system... it is truly the best in the world by a long distance and they thoroughly deserve all the world titles that they have won.

[rkt.india]

The one thing I like about aussies is their casual approach to retirement (in most cases). MJ was a fantastic talent. Anyone who takes over 300 test wickets ought to be way above average so congrats on a fantastic career to MJ.

Btw, how good are the aussies really? They once again lost a couple of superb bowlers and it looks like their bowling line-up is still going to be dominant (ryan harris and MJ gone one after the other). Hats off of their domestic system... it is truly the best in the world by a long distance and they thoroughly deserve all the world titles that they have won.

It's about level of talent and not just about domestics. Australia are the best sporting country among all regular test playing nations and that is what shows in their cricket too.

In Australia, only Mcgrath, Warne, Lilliee had more wickets than him.

[Trundler27]

It's about level of talent and not just about domestics. Australia are the best sporting country among all regular test playing nations and that is what shows in their cricket too.

In Australia, only Mcgrath, Warne, Lilliee had more wickets than him.

 

While I agree with a bit of what you said (they are the best sporting country), I don't think it has entirely to do with talent. I'm pretty sure that India has more talent than Australia when it comes to cricket. You can see that at the u-19 level where we often dominate them and most other countries. The gulf starts to widen in their favor once they reach the senior level. IMO that is a testament to their domestic cricket where these kids play against international caliber players and develop likewise.

[panesarv]

Sad to see him go. Was an absolute delight to watch.

[panesarv]

 

Even though this video shows his wickets, the real fun was in watching him absolutely torment the English batsmen. For example, that first Trott wicket shows nothing. It was all the deliveries leading up to his wicket that were a treat to watch. He instilled absolute fear into the batsmen.

[rkt.india]

When he was at his best, there were few more compelling sights in cricket than Mitchell Johnson bowling at full pelt: he was among the quickest around, he bowled a fearsome bouncer, and his ability to intimidate was second to none. Consistency wasn't his strongest suit, but that unpredictability made him even more exciting to watch. He finishes as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs for Australia, which in itself is tremendous given the number of high-quality bowlers who have played for Australia, but Johnson's biggest attribute wasn't just the number of wickets he took, but the number of games he won for Australia: in the last eight years (which is the duration of his Test career), no player won more Man-of-the-Match awards in Tests than Johnson - along with Kumar Sangakkara and Dale Steyn, he won nine, which is the highest during this period.

 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/941849.html

[rkt.india]

The bowled of Pieterson showed how much Mitch had Poms disintegrated mentally.