Mitchell Johnson’s willingness for mentorship originates from personal experiences

‘He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right… that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is shite’, sang the famous Barmy Army during the Ashes 2010-11 Down Under, as England went on a rampage to end their humiliating run in Australia. If losing to their arch rivals in their backyard was not enough for the faltering team of Ricky Ponting, being badgered by the Barmy Army which can really get pesky at times was the last thing the Australians wanted. However, there was no mercy from the English fans who revelled in their team’s historic success, and in the process managed to get into the head of a certain Mitchell Johnson. ALSO READ – Mitchell Johnson retires: Top 10 spells in international cricket

Getting under the skin of their opposition is an art which most of the modern day cricketers are aware of. Whether they are strong enough to use it or not is a question that varies from player to player, but there is something they all do have in common: steel. The sturdy ones can weather all kinds of storms, but smallest of mental frailties open up into big cracks that may take years altogether to heal. ALSO READ – Mitchell Johnson retires: Where does he rank among Australia’s pace pantheon?

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But on this occasion, a bunch of besotted cricket fans inside a stadium managed to breach the defence of an international cricketer bred and nurtured in one of the most ruthless cricketing systems. This bunch managed to ravage those walls even the best failed against. Mitchell Johnson needed help.

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It still has not been a full year since Johnson walked away from cricket. Since then he has keenly followed Australian cricket as well as his former opponents on the field around the world. Now, as the Australian season is impending, Johnson is not preparing for another tough Test series at home. He will instead feature in BBL towards the end of the year.

Johnson will be watching Australia take on South Africa and Pakistan at home this season, two very quality opponents he would have liked to have a crack at. Neither West Indies nor New Zealand provided enough challenge for Australia last season, and the fast bowler in Johnson will certainly be licking his lips to be in a contest with the world No. 1 Test side as well as a team which may have been in a rebuilding phase but has not lost the quality.

However, Johnson will not be returning to international cricket. He will be playing for the Perth Scorchers, far away from the arena where he belonged. He will also be keeping a close eye on the teammates he left behind, and the many whom he could have nurtured had he still been an active cricketer. But Johnson is now retired, and he wants to branch out as a mentor to young cricketers.

On Wednesday, Johnson spoke about his desire to become a mentor for the up and coming cricketers. Johnson told ESPNCricinfo, “I came from not much money and to all of a sudden earn big cash was really exciting, and you want to spend it and do this and do that. But I had good people around me … Through cricket I’ve experienced all the highs and lows. I’m in the process of figuring out where to go with the mentoring side of things and hopefully in the next year or so I can be part of guiding these young guys.”

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Unlike many others, Johnson has not walked away from the sport. He will continue to play one of the formats. At the same time Johnson wants to explore options. For the uninitiated, there is a presumably stiff competition between experienced men like Jason Gillespie, Justin Langer and even Tom Moody for coaching roles with the national side. To state that Australia will not need to nurture coaches for their national side for the next 10 years will be no exaggeration. Let us not forget Trevor Bayliss’ impressive resume with England says he can be marked for the future as well. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson retires as one of Australia’s greatest tearaways

Johnson knows the difference between being a coach and a mentor. Knowing the left-arm tearaway pacer who remained at the top of his game right till the end his desire does not come as a surprise. Johnson was a mental wreck himself, ready to pull the plug of his career after it all drifted away for him post Ashes 2010-11. Modern-day cricketers are steely when it is about being fit from the mental perspective because they know the moment they let down the guard a world full of problems will gush in and everything will be lost. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson – Of two seasons and one hemisphere

But Johnson revived himself. He revisited those mental plans, reconstructed those walls, and got himself to doing what he would do the best: bowl fast. An erratic Johnson who had been in the past a target for the world, turned in to a monster which almost everyone started dreading. England were demolished, South Africa were rattled. Johnson was not only back, he was roaring and was unstoppable.

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Johnson sang Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ when he bowled. It reminded him of his daughter. It brought him to focus on the job that he had on hand, rather than on what the world was saying about it.

Andrew Strauss tied his engagement ring around his neck just to remind why he was away from his family, what his sole objective was. Call them perspectives, methods, ways, or whatever, they worked for these cricketers.

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Johnson wants to help young cricketers. He has seen those around him doing their bit for the next generation. Michael Clarke has just flown in a young and promising Nepali spinner to Australia for training in his academy. Ryan Harris is already training young guns. Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne are taking the sport to USA.

Johnson wants to do what he knows is the second best that he can do in cricket if not bowling fast: encourage, train and mentor the young. Not just about their money, as Johnson has put it right now. To learn from a fast bowler with this repute is certainly a boon for the next generation.

(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)