Full Name

Mitchell Guy Johnson

Born

November 02, 1981, Townsville, Queensland

Age

42y 138d

Nicknames

Midge, Notch

Batting Style

Left hand Bat

Bowling Style

Left arm Fast

Playing Role

Bowler

Height

1.89 m

An express bowler whose career has consisted of Himalayan peaks and oceanic troughs, Mitchell Johnson at his best was as fearsome as fast bowlers come. That summit came during 2013-14, when in successive series he cowed the batsmen of England and South Africa with his speed and aggression. In those eight Tests he collected 59 wickets at 15.23, along with a big bunch of cherries on helmets and gloves. Not surprisingly it led to Johnson winning his first Allan Border Medal, and at the age of 32 he was finally achieving the sorts of feats that Dennis Lillee might have expected when he first spotted Johnson's talent as a 17-year-old. There had been other highlights along the way for Johnson, including brutal spells against South Africa in 2008-09, but the lows of his 2009 and 2010-11 Ashes campaigns left his legacy looking uncertain. Nerves and family problems contributed to those struggles, but a broken toe in 2011 gave him time away from the game and the chance to reflect on where he was going.

It was still far from smooth sailing: he offered little on the 2013 tour of India and was not even picked for the 2013 Ashes in England, but his return for the home Ashes that followed was emphatic. Wearing a moustache reminiscent of Lillee, he delivered a series of fast-bowling spells that would not have been out of place in the Lillee-Thomson era. Johnson intimidated with his bouncer and made England's batsmen seriously uncomfortable; that he was Player of the Series was no surprise. As described by Wisden, the mood changed whenever he tore in: "This was something visceral: a hush followed by a crescendo". A 12-wicket Test in Centurion in Australia's next series showed that it was no fluke. After that South African tour Johnson's pace eased off again, but he remained a strike weapon and became the fifth Australian bowler to take 300 wickets in Tests.

An athlete who started out preferring tennis, Johnson was late to focus on cricket and suffered early in his career with four back stress fractures that almost floored him for good. He persevered, driving a plumbing van when he lost his Queensland contract, and made his Test debut in 2007 after the retirement of Glenn McGrath. With a strong, flowing run to the crease, Johnson can become mechanical in delivery, especially if his wrist, a long-term concern, is in the wrong position. When it's bad, he sprays the ball on both sides of the wicket like an old-fashioned firebrand. When it's perfect, there are few better bowlers in the game. The late swing at pace is a major problem, along with sharp bounce, and sometimes it's just the angle across the batsmen that undoes them. Off the field he is often so quiet that it is hard to reconcile with his on-field speed and aggression. Also a clean striker with the bat, Johnson scored a Test century in South Africa in 2009, but never quite reached the genuine all-round status that once seemed possible.
ESPNcricinfo staff

Mitchell Johnson Career Stats

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests731401600188913138/6112/12728.403.3351.116123
ODIs153150748960382396/316/3125.264.8331.3930
T20Is3030656797383/153/1520.977.2817.2000
FC117-23765133524658/61-28.713.3751.124174
List A184-922773872846/316/3126.014.8032.41140
T20s112111249431721233/33/325.787.6320.2000

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAveBFSR100s50s4s6sCtSt
Tests73109162065123*22.20353658.3911124731270
ODIs153913295173*16.1198796.35028123350
T20Is3017710928*10.9095114.73008350
FC117170313180123*22.87--215--390
List A18410839111573*16.15122391.1602--390
T20s11252273203012.80304105.26002310280
Mitchell Guy Johnson

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Recent Matches of Mitchell Johnson

MatchBatBowlDateGroundFormat
Capitals vs Kings621/2605-Oct-2022JaipurOTHERT20
Capitals vs Kings--2/5102-Oct-2022JodhpurOTHERT20
Capitals vs Tigers--1/2829-Sep-2022CuttackOTHERT20
Capitals vs Giants--1/3725-Sep-2022DelhiOTHERT20
Capitals vs Kings--0/1821-Sep-2022LucknowOTHERT20

Videos of Mitchell Johnson

Photos of Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson worked as a broadcaster during the first Test
Former teammates Mitchell Johnson and George Bailey have fallen out
Mitchell Johnson takes a catch to send back AB de Villiers
Mitchell Johnson holds on to a catch
Mitchell Johnson takes to the air after taking a wicket
Mitchell Johnson limbers up for the BBL