Published: Nov 17, 2015, 04:32 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 17, 2015, 04:32 PM (IST)
As the sun set behind the Brewongle Stand at the end of second day’s play of Sydney’s New Year’s Test, out of the shadows of the ladies stand, Mitchell Johnson approached his then coach in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and ensured him that he wanted to be an integral part of the IPL side after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. It might have only been January 2015, but Johnson had already thought long and hard about his future. He was aware of the fact that his commitment to the IPL will lead to conflict with Cricket Australia (CA) prior to Ashes series. Johnson supposedly mentioned to his coach on the SCG outfield, “I’m not going to be around for ever, and just want to lock down my future as well.” FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs New Zealand, 2nd Test match
After all, it had been an emotional and a frustrating summer. The tragedy of Phil Hughes’s death had affected his mental state of trying to bowl those thunderbolts targeted at the opponent’s helmet. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson retires as one of Australia’s greatest tearaways
Last year after he struck Virat Kohli on the head, Johnson had to be consoled by Michael Clarke on the way back to his bowling mark. What followed was a strong indicator: Johnson’s mental side was just not right. In the next 19 balls to the Indian batsmen he failed to bowl a single short delivery. When he finally had the courage to bowl one, it was in the next spell almost an hour later. This time the well-set Kohli pulled him ruthlessly for a four. Johnson was not the same again that summer.
Then there were the docile pitches. Johnson has moaned m about them after being ruled out of the Sydney Test last summer. Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne were roads on which the record number of runs were scored by both teams. The extra lift of the ball was non-existent and Johnson’s pace started to dip. ALSO READ: Retired Mitchell Johnson remained unpredictable till the end
In the Ashes 2013-14, Johnson had eclipsed the 150 kmph mark on as many as 25 occasions in five Tests. His average speed was over 90mph during the series. But in the summer when Australia faced India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15, Johnson’s average pace dipped to 140 kmph.
Before the Ashes 2015 in England, Johnson admitted the death of Hughes had drained him mentally and affected his fast bowling psyche. But Johnson also admitted he was ready and all set to drive fear into the old enemy once again.
So we waited for those thunderbolts to once again terrorise the English. But once again it was the other obstacle that halted his rise: the green and slow pitches that England dished out. No doubt the pitches lacked the hardness which is there usually on Australian pitches, but even the fuller deliveries failed to measure over 140 kmph mark often.
Credit must be given to where it due. Johnson’s hostility in the Ashes 2013-14 had curators all around the world scrambling for some soft soil to reduce his impact. Even the much fancied South Africans doctored the pitch to nullify him at Port Elizabeth. The old enemies England were always going to do it. “No bounce no Johnson” a former England skipper had said during the ashes last summer.
To be fair to Johnson, the English were following the precedence set by most host nations, so bowling on green and slow decks rarely surprised him. The Ashes 2013-14 that he had single-handedly won 18 months ago was gone. As was Johnson’s pace and most importantly, his closest peers in the team had also left the game. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson’s final Test ends in a draw; Australia still lead series vs New Zealand 1-0
Another left-arm genuine fast seamer with a same first name has been emerging from his shadow. But there was no doubt that Johnson was still the hero of the Australian public. When the ground announcer at the Gabba announced Johnson’s name as he came on to bowl, there was a loud roar which was usually reserved in the past for the likes of Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Ironically, they are only three men that are ahead of him in the number of wickets taken having donned the baggy green.
During this modern era of flat pitches, broad bats and front-footed batsmen, Johnson invigorated fast bowling in space of couple of months. All those stories about Thommo and Lillee, Holding and Garner, Tyson and Larwood that might have seemed like myths to the current crop of budding cricketers were all of a sudden sprung back to life by Johnson.
Since the start of the summer, retirement had crossed his mind almost every day. But in hindsight he perhaps wanted to one more opportunity to discover that magic that too on his most cherished ground. Unfortunately for Johnson, even his most precious 22 yard strip was against him. The time had come or perhaps the time had passed.
Couple of months from now, Johnson will bowl again, but that will be in the IPL. After all it was in IPL 2013 that another certain coach said the problem Australia had with Johnson was that they tried to make him into an Alan Davidson when he was always destined to be Jeff Thomson.
(Gaurav Joshi is an Indian-born Australian who played with Michael Clarke in his junior days. He coaches and reports for a Sydney radio station. Over the years he has freelanced for Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and is a regular on ABC cricket show Cow Corner. He is the author of the book “Teen Thunder Down Under” – The inside story of India’s 2012 U19 World Cup Triumph)
