Johnson pondered post-Ashes retirement

As he watched Ryan Harris, Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin shuffle out of the dressing room for the final time, Mitchell Johnson wondered whether he should join them. Seriously drained after a year in which he could not follow up World Cup success with retaining the Ashes, he pondered the possibility of retirement.

But, in the six weeks since the Ashes have passed, Johnson has found himself feeling the old urge to train, to compete, and most importantly to bowl fast. He is now eager to do so once more, as the senior pro in what has now become a young and much changed team. Johnson has clear ideas on how and how much he should be used, and has set his sights upon matching the wickets tally of his mentor Dennis Lillee.

"It definitely has crossed my mind, especially with the guys retiring," Johnson said at Australia's training camp in Hurstville. "A lot of those guys I played a lot of cricket with [have moved on] and it definitely makes you question yourself. I definitely have questioned myself in the six weeks I've been home, but I had that desire when I saw the young guys out there performing and it really urged me and pushed me to get out there and play. I actually went for a run and was pushing myself.

"Brett Lee changed it a little bit because he played for a while longer. Speaking to some other people like Dennis, he seems to think I can go for a few more years as well. It depends on the individual to be honest, I had that year out of the game really with my toe injury, I was a late starter to the game. So I think it's more mind than anything, my body's still holding up pretty well.

"I've had little niggles here and there but i'm able to get through them. It's more mind. I'm really looking forward to the summer, getting back on fair wickets with a bit of pace and bounce, good for batting and for bowling. I'd love to get a few wickets and get that tally back up again."

At the end of a two-year period in which he played 18 of a possible 19 Tests besides sundry ODIs and Twenty20 fixtures, Johnson's body was holding up reasonably. But his mind had begun to waver - even though he felt he had stored up enough mental energy for the Ashes campaign, he found himself getting drained midway through the series, not helped by the constant toll of English crowds and batsmen.

"I was definitely worn down physically but I think I can always manage physically though," Johnson said. "It's more mentally that I felt myself really drained even through the England tour at times. Constantly getting hammered by the crowds does take its toll, but also the long year we've had with the World Cup. It was a huge build-up, to win that and then I went to IPL and played there. Was pretty flat throughout that, and then got to the West Indies and started to pick up a bit.

"The Ashes always takes it out of you anyway, it's such a huge occasion, and was definitely great to get back home after that. I personally think if I'd played that one-day series there was a chance of burnout or injury, that's how I felt within myself. That's why I missed that one-day series, getting fresh to be ready for a big summer and hopefully be in really good form and play really good cricket.

"I know New Zealand are going to be a tough opposition, then we've got a few Test matches after that against West Indies then over to New Zealand. So it's a really hectic time, but the little break I've had has definitely freshened me up and I'm ready to go."

There were other issues that had crept into Johnson's mind as well. The handling of Haddin's exit from the team rankled, and so did the haziness that often surrounded how Johnson was to be used in the bowling attack. Seldom was he able to simply charge in at top pace and intimidate as he had done against England two years ago, as much for the fact that there was no Harris or Peter Siddle keeping things tight at the other end as anything else.

Johnson will be speaking with the coach Darren Lehmann and the new captain Steven Smith about this concept. Already it appears Lehmann understands the need for control as well as pace, stating that Australia will retain an allrounder throughout the Test summer while also picking their most balanced attack to keep the scoreboard tight.

"I spoke to Boof about it, it's something I thought about," Johnson said. "I think it works best if I bowl short spells and I can bowl that high 140s or mid 140s, then I think that's the plan we should go with. I'm going to sit down and speak with Boof and Smithy about that and see what they think.

"But I've always got a plan B and I think I learned that a lot more over in England to have a plan B, just try to use the ball a bit more in certain conditions. You can't always blast teams out but when that time's right I'm definitely still putting my hand up for that role."

That sort of outspokenness can be expected more often as Johnson begins the final phase of his career. No longer one of many 30-somethings in the Test team, he is now an elder statesman, a leader and a keeper of tradition. There is much he can pass on to a young team before he is done.