#360view: Mitch was a rare breed of fast bowler

Ajit Vijaykumar 10:54 18/11/2015
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Johnson and his family after his final game.

    The moment Mitchell Johnson revealed last week that he had been thinking about retirement on most days, it became clear the end was round the corner. Mark Taylor had said just a day before Johnson’s announcement that he didn’t see the tearaway quick playing much longer. So once the decision was made, not many were surprised.

    You don’t get many bowlers bowling super quick at the age of 34. Generally, fast bowlers start out as twenty-somethings, burn up everything they have in the first five-six years and make the most of anything left thereafter.

    But Johnson was the complete opposite. He made his debut in 2007 as a 26-year-old who was described by the great Dennis Lillee as a ‘once in a generation bowler’. But for the first four years of his career, he oscillated between the superb and terrible.

    – RECAP: Johnson retires from international cricket
    – AUSvNZ: Second Test ends in stalemate on day five

    – FOLLOW: Live cricket scores from around the world

    He enjoyed a sensational 2009 tour of South Africa where he picked up 16 wickets in three Tests and scored 255 runs, including a century, to well and truly announce his arrival on the international stage. However, the very next season he lost it all and as Australia lost the home Ashes to England, Johnson was a shadow of his former self.

    That sudden loss of form and bite could have broken many players, but not Johnson. He had two options in front of him – change his style and go for a more conservative approach as his shock-and-awe tactics weren’t working or stick to his gameplan and find a way to put fear in the eyes of batsmen once again.

    Throughout his struggles, he sought the advice of mentor Lillee and it is to the credit of both that Johnson stuck to his plan of bowling frighteningly quick. The results were not immediate and he was even booted out of the side for failing to do his ‘homework’ assigned by coach Mickey Arthur.

    Even so, the fire in Johnson burned bright. And it exploded with a mighty bang during the home Ashes against England in 2013-14 where he was used by captain Michael Clarke in short spells with the sole purpose of scaring the living daylights out of the English batsmen. During that breath-taking series, which produced 37 wickets for him, Johnson was more interested in psychologically scarring the batsmen than anything else. Wickets and a 5-0 whitewash were simply by-products of his endeavours.

    Johnson achieved almost everything that a cricketer could ask for and was pragmatic enough to realise there isn’t anything more he could do or even wanted to do. What must have helped him in making the decision is the stupendous rise of Mitchell Starc.

    The left-arm quick has overtaken Johnson as the No1 fast bowler in Australia and Starc’s searing spell against New Zealand at the WACA, where he breached the 160kmph mark, must have helped the older Mitch make up his mind.

    Looking back at his career, Johnson can be proud of the fact that no one can accuse him of not fulfilling his potential. He stuck to his strengths even when they were not producing the desired results and kept up the intensity right until the very end of his career.

    That he enjoyed his best years in Test cricket after the age of 33 shows how resilient he is.

    Truly a once in a generation bowler.

    Recommended