Mitchell Guy Johnson is an
AustralianThe Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the
International Cricket CouncilThe International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the
Sir Garfield Sobers TrophyThe Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy is a cricket trophy awarded annually by the International Cricket Council to its chosen world player of the Year. It was first awarded in 2004 to Rahul Dravid....
.
Career
When attending a fast-bowling clinic in Brisbane at age 17, former Test fast-bowler
Dennis LilleeDennis Keith Lillee, AM, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
identified him as a "once-in-a-lifetime prospect". Lillee contacted former team mate
Rod MarshRodney William Marsh MBE is a former Australian wicketkeeper.A colourful character, Marsh had a Test career spanning from the 1970–71 to the 1983–84 Australian season. In 96 Tests, he set a world record of 355 wicketkeeping dismissals, the same number his pace bowling Western...
and arranged for Johnson to join the Australian Cricket Academy in
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
.
Johnson subsequently played for the Australian Under-19 side that toured England in 1999, however recurrent back injuries hampered his prospects. He recovered to start his first-class career two years later, when he was selected to play state cricket for his native
QueenslandThe Queensland cricket team, nicknamed the Bulls, are the Brisbane-based Queensland representative cricket team in Australia's domestic cricket tournaments:*Sheffield Shield, 4-day matches with first-class status, since the 1926/27 season...
. Playing for Queensland against New Zealand, Johnson hit a six off the first ball he faced in first-class cricket. In September 2005, he was in the
Australia A cricket team that toured PakistanThe Australia A cricket team toured Pakistan in September 2005. Australia A are a team made up of the second tier of Australian cricketers, just below the national team. They played two first class games against Pakistan A, one which they lost by seven wickets, and one draw...
.
Johnson switched from the Queensland Bulls to the
Western WarriorsThe Western Australia cricket team are an Australian first class cricket team representing the state of Western Australia...
on 25 July 2008.
Tests
Johnson was chosen to be in the squad for the first Ashes Test beginning on 23 November 2006, but was 12th man in all of the games. On 10 November 2007, while making his Australian Test match debut against
Sri Lanka-2nd Test:-Cricket Australia Chairman's XI:-Queensland:-Prime Minister's XI:-Tasmania:-References:...
at his home ground in Brisbane, Johnson took his first wicket, that of
Thilan SamaraweeraThilan Thusara Samaraweera is a Sri Lankan cricketer, born September 22, 1976 in Colombo. Samaraweera plays international cricket for Sri Lanka and is in the side primarily for his solid right-handed batting but is also a capable Off spinner.-Personal life:...
, caught by
Adam GilchristAdam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
. Johnson went on to take 4/96.
On 19 January 2008, Johnson scored his first ever Test half-century, against
IndiaDay OneAustralia won the toss and elected to bat and after surviving playing and missing and edging some balls through the cordon, built a strong platform with a century opening stand before Phil Jaques was stumped on 66. Ponting and Hussey got out shortly after falling for 4 and 2 respectively....
in
PerthThe WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
, having been both dropped and bowled off a no ball, although Australia ended up losing the match.
On the second day of the First Test against South Africa in Perth on 18 December 2008 Johnson took seven wickets for just 42 runs, including five wickets for two runs near the close, to reduce the tourists from 3/234 to 8/243. He ended with 8/61 the next day. Later in the series he made 64 batting with Michael Clarke.
The 2009 tour to South Africa saw an important development in Johnson's armoury, the ability to consistently swing the ball into the right-hander, which he previously had struggled to achieve. During the First Test, on 27 February 2009, Johnson scored 96 not out, to help Australia post 466 all out. This included one over in which he scored 26 runs off the bowling of Paul Harris, hitting two fours and three sixes, the last of which carried out of the stadium and broke the record for the most runs in an over for Australia in a Test match. He also took eight wickets with the ball.
In the Second Test, he unleashed a fiery spell of fast bowling that gained him two wickets in his first over, and three in his first spell, as well as sending both
Jacques KallisJacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
and
Graeme SmithGraeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
off, retired hurt. After this, notable cricket commentator
Peter RoebuckPeter Michael Roebuck was an English cricketer who achieved later renown as an Australian newspaper columnist and radio commentator. A consistent county performer with over 25,000 runs, and "one of the better English openers of the 1980s", Roebuck captained the English county side Somerset...
described him as the best fast bowler in the world.
In the Third Test, with Australia almost defeated, he struck 123 not out, reaching triple figures in only 86 balls. With tail-ender
Bryce McGainBryce Edward McGain is a professional Australian cricketer who currently plays for Victoria. McGain made his first-class debut in 2002 against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground. However, due to other Victorian spinners—Shane Warne and Cameron White—he was unable to hold down a place in...
for company, Johnson decided to take on the bowling and struck
Dale SteynDale Willem Steyn is a South African cricketer who plays in Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. He is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world and achieved the 900+ points benchmark on 13th Nov 2011. Steyn plays domestic cricket in South Africa for Cape Cobras...
for six to reach his century. Although Australia went on to lose the Test match by an innings, Johnson was named man of the series, with 16 wickets and over 250 runs in 3 matches.
During the
2009 Ashes tourThe Australia national cricket team toured Great Britain to play a series of cricket matches during the 2009 English cricket season. The team played five Test matches – one in Wales – seven one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals against England. The Australians also...
he was criticised for his poor bowling and his lack of control. Johnson's position as spearhead of the Australian seam-attack was called into question, with match figures of 3/200 in second Test at
LordsLord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
and his demotion to first-change bowler in Australia's tour game against
NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
. In the match against Northamptonshire, he returned 1/107 from 18.1 overs as Australia won by 135 runs. Despite his poor form he was selected for the third Test. Johnson consequently re-discovered some form in the fourth test taking 5/69 in the second-innings.
Johnson appeared to get back to his best towards the end of 2009, earning praise from captain
Ricky PontingRicky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
during the summer series against both West Indies and Pakistan. He finished the year as the worlds top wicket taker (63), and also became the first Australian to take 50 wickets and score 500 runs in a calendar year.
In the
2010–11 Ashes seriesThe 2010–11 Ashes series was played in Australia as part of the England cricket team's tour of Australia during the 2010–11 cricket season. Five Tests were played from 25 November 2010 to 7 January 2011...
Johnson took more wickets than any other Australian with 15 (36.93) even though he played only 4 Tests. In the First Test at the Gabba he was hit for 0/170 in the match and was so out of form that he was dropped. Returning for the Third Test at the WACA he hit 62, took 6/38 and 4/44 was instrumentental in Australia's 267 run victory. However, his wayward bowling returned and Johnson became increasingly affected by the chanting of the
Barmy ArmyThe Barmy Army is a semi-organised group of English cricket fans which arranges touring parties for some of its members to follow the English cricket team on overseas tours...
whenever he bowled; "He bowls to the left, He bowls to the right, That Mitchell Johnson, His bowling is shite". In the Fifth Test at the
Sydney Cricket GroundThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
20,000 England fans sung this as he walked to the crease and he made a first ball duck as England won by an innings to retain
the AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of the most celebrated rivalries in international cricket and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues...
.
One Day Cricket
In December 2005, Johnson was selected for the Australian One Day International team, making his debut against
New ZealandThe New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
in Christchurch, with chairman of selectors
Trevor HohnsTrevor Victor Hohns is a former Queensland and.Australian cricketer who played in 7 Tests in 1989.Hohns resigned as chairman of selectors for Cricket Australia in early 2006, being replaced with fellow selector and former Test cricketer Andrew Hilditch.-External links:...
justifying his selection on the grounds of grooming players for the future.
Johnson gave the first signs of his potential at international level against the strong Indian batting line-up in a One Day International in Malaysia, Johnson's 7th. He took 4/11 off just 4 overs, including the wickets of
Sachin TendulkarSachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
,
Rahul DravidRahul Sharad Dravid , is a cricketer in the Indian national team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996. He was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in October 2005 and resigned from the post in September 2007. Dravid was honoured as one of the top-five Wisden Cricketers...
and
Yuvraj SinghYuvraj Singh Bhandal is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008...
. Johnson then played in the Australian
2006 ICC Champions TrophyThe 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
team, and in the group A match against England he took 3/40, including
Kevin PietersenKevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
. On 26 January 2007, Johnson took 4 wickets in 8 balls during the seventh match of the CB Series against
EnglandThe England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
, for which he earned Man of the Match honours. In October 2007 Johnson helped Australia seal the ODI series in India. He finished as the top wicket-taker with 14 wickets, which showed his abilities, even on the slow pitches of the sub-continent. In the fifth ODI at Vadodara he took 5/26, his first international five wicket haul.
Australia came into the Champions Trophy ranked second in ODIs; along with being the event's reigning champions. They opened their campaign against an undermanned West Indian outfit who were without prominent players because of an industrial dispute. After being put into bat, Australia fell to 7/172 after 40 overs, before finishing on 8/275 in 50 overs as the pitch flattened out. Johnson scored a career best 73 not out, as Australia scored 69 runs from their batting Powerplay (between overs 44 and 49). In an innings which produced "fierce, clean hitting", Johnson struck three sixes and eight fours in his quick-fire 47 ball innings. Although Johnson went wicketless in the West Indian innings, he secured the man of the match award as Australia won by 50 runs.
Australia
- 2006 ICC Champions Trophy
The 2006 ICC Champions Trophy was a One Day International cricket tournament held in India from 7 October to 5 November 2006. It was the fifth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy...
- 2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
- 2009 ICC Champions Trophy
Individual
- Player of the Series vs. South Africa 2008–09
- Johnson was named the 2009 ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the 2009 LG ICC Awards.
Test Centuries
| Test Match Centuries of Mitchell Johnson |
| # | |Match | |City/Country | |Year |
| 1 |
123* |
21 |
|
Cape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|
Newlands Cricket GroundNewlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town is a South African cricket ground. It's the home of the Cape Cobras, who play in the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20 competitions. It is also a venue for Test matches. Newlands is regarded as one of the most beautiful cricket...
|
2009 |
Personal life
Johnson is reportedly married to
karateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
black beltIn martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
and
modelA model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
Jessica Bratich.
External links