Johnson not coveting new ball

Mitchell Johnson is open to a first-change bowling commission for Australia during the World Cup as the best way to balance his speed and menace with the new-ball swing of his fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc.

Having returned from an extended break that included the Sydney Test and the majority of the triangular series, Johnson revelled in fast conditions at the WACA Ground and English opponents still likely to be haunted by his demolition of their Test side last summer.

The major difference was that this time around Johnson did it as the third bowler used after Starc and Josh Hazlewood, allowing the younger men to use the new ball as they had done most effectively in earlier games, while also allowing Johnson to act as something of a supercharge to Australia's bowling attack in short spells. While as eager to taking the new ball as any other self-respecting fast bowler, Johnson said the WACA configuration could well prove effective during the World Cup, starting with the opener, also against England, on February 14 at the MCG.

"We've got two left-armers and got to think about what's best for our team - if it's me coming on first change I'd be happy to do that," Johnson said. "I've always said I love opening the bowling for my country, [but] it will be something that game to game will come up in our team meetings. I'll talk to Darren [Lehmann] about it and George [Bailey] and the bowling unit. Personally I've got confidence because I've been able to open the bowling, first change, second change, Powerplays. So I'm happy to bowl anywhere to be honest.

"It feels nice to do it to any team, to go out there and perform at your best and do the job that you've been put in the team for. My job is to go out there and try to bowl fast and be aggressive and take wickets. I felt like I was pretty close to that. That's what really excites me and the bowling unit we have has been able to stand up and bowl well throughout the series so exciting times ahead for the Australian cricket team I think."

Australia's assistant coach Craig McDermott believes Johnson and Starc can evolve into complementary bowlers within the same attack, and the use of Starc with the new ball and Johnson coming in behind him may be the most likely scenario by which this is possible. Johnson admitted to a few nerves after a month out of the team.

"I felt a little bit rusty, a little bit nervous coming into it, I was just really keen to get out here and play a game of cricket," he said. "It happened to be a final of a tri-series, which was very important. I felt pretty comfortable; I've played over 150 one-day games now so I had the confidence behind me. It was just getting out there and playing and being with the guys leading into a massive World Cup for us. We've got two warm-up games now and then into it.

"Pace wise, out of the hand it felt really good most of the time. I was probably just a touch rusty - the more games I play I get into that rhythm of bowling and I feel much better the more I've bowled. Bowling those short spells again was nice."

Johnson scoffed at England captain Eoin Morgan's suggestion that it would be the hosts under most pressure when they reconvened for the first match of the tournament. He was also hopeful the ODI pitches will offer more pace and bounce than the string of docile Test surfaces that accompanied India's Test tour.

"I think every team's under pressure, it's a World Cup. I think they're dreaming if they think they're not under pressure. Every team is going to be under pressure, it's a knockout situation, you need to win every game or that's how I see it. We're going to try to win all the games we play in. There's going to be a little more pressure on us being a home World Cup, but were prepared for that.

"I think the one-day wickets will be a little bit different, I'm hoping. The one-day wickets have generally been pretty good. I believe in a bit of pace and bounce in the wicket, it brings batters and bowlers into the game, so if you stray from your lengths or your lines you get punished on good wickets, if you bowl really good areas you get the nicks. That's fair and hopefully it's going to be like that through the World Cup."

Having had time to reflect, Johnson also noted that while the game did feel different for all players since the death of Phillip Hughes, he had resolved to keep bowling fast and using the short ball as a legitimate part of his arsenal - something Moeen Ali found out when he parried a lifter to slip before Morgan was bowled next ball by a fuller delivery when clearly expecting something short.

"It's probably changed a little bit since Phil to be honest, but it probably did that to everyone," Johnson said. "I think everyone was a bit funny about it at first. But it's part of the game and I'm still going to bowl short balls - that sets up a wicket for me, I can get a wicket bowling a short ball or I can set a batsman up by bowling a short ball. I think it's still very important and a very big part of the game.

"It's just been time really. I haven't been thinking about it too much but I've just let myself go and over time I've felt better and better. Sometimes it's not going to work as much and I've got to go to plan B or keep trying. I'm a fast bowler who likes to bowl fast and I don't mind bowling that short ball - that's what I've tried to do in all forms of the game."