Speeding into view

An interview with Mitchell Johnson who is leading the way for Australia's next generation of pacemen

09-Oct-2006

The return of Glenn McGrath to the Australian line-up has filled plenty of column inches in recent weeks, but regardless of how well his comeback works he won't be able to continue forever. The search is on for the next generation of Australian pacemen and Mitchell Johnson, who can already count the scalps of Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, is leading the way. Recently he spoke to Cricinfo about the challenges that lie ahead and his hopes for the future.

Mitchell Johnson leaps in celebration during his four-wicket haul against India during the DLF Cup © Getty Images

Obviously now you are rubbing your hands in anticipation of the Ashes. Even Ricky Ponting has signaled that you could be counted in the calculations. So tell us how eager are you get into the squad?

I'm jumping out of my skin mate. It's a dream of any young cricketer in Australia to wear the baggy green cap and if it happened to mean playing in an Ashes series, it would be amazing.

Dennis Lillee says you are a "once in a generation bowler". What did you feel? Did you speak to Lillee about the compliment?

I didn't speak to him about the compliment which he made in an interview. On one hand it was great that such a legend of the game would think that of me. On the other hand it created pressures on me that another bowler of my age wouldn't have had to deal with. But he's been a great source of inspiration for me, particularly in the way he fought back from injury in his career. I enjoy it when we catch up and he is always happy to help out.

The selectors brought you into the side based on the basis of your promise and not your first-class figures - does that add more pressure on you to prove yourself?

Obviously you want to earn your spot but I was given the opportunity to show my potential and skills. I'm still learning but I have gained some experience and put a few good performances on the board which gives me confidence when I go out on the field.

Who has been the one bowler you have always followed - maybe your idol or hero and why?

Actually there are three bowlers who I either admired growing up or have a very high regard for now. I enjoyed watching the West Indian bowlers but especially Curtly Ambrose - he was exciting to watch and such an imposing bowler. Wasim Akram was another - mainly because he was a left-armer and the way he swung ball and generated such pace off a short run-up. And now it is Brett Lee - mainly because of his sheer pace but also due to his determination to succeed after coming back from injuries very similar to what I have had.

'I did wonder on occasions whether it [his back] was ever going to recover completely and come good for me' © Getty Images

You are part of the Champions Trophy squad - obviously the flat wickets are not going to be help you - so what kind of changes would you like to implement to get the maximum return?

I won't be changing things dramatically even if the conditions will be different to what I am used to in Australia. I've been fortunate to play in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan over the past few years and so I've got some idea of what to expect. I've had a few chats with Michael Kasprowicz who bowled so well in India a few years ago to get ready. Basically he told me to try to hit the deck as hard as you can and use the things that work well for you.

In the past you suffered back injuries which even made you think of quitting the game and driving a delivery truck - do you remember those days and what made you think of leaving the game?

At one point I thought seriously about quitting the game, although I wasn't going to make a career of driving a delivery truck! If I had given cricket away, I would still have played some sort of sport -tennis, golf, touch football, soccer - something along those lines. I thought about my future when I was recovering from injury and because I'd had a few injuries of the same nature, I did wonder on occasions whether it was ever going to recover completely and come good for me. But having that time away from the game helped me to grow up and get a bit of perspective on things.

What do you think are your strong points as a bowler?

My eagerness to learn and my competitiveness are two things that I consider to be strengths. I guess on a bowling level, it would be an ability to swing the ball at pace.

You seem to rely more on pace but now you swing the ball both ways. Who did you work with to achieve this consistency?

I've been very fortunate to work with a number of people over the years with Queensland Cricket and Cricket Australia. I've had a number of good coaches and been very fortunate to be able to tap into the experience and knowledge of some great bowlers - blokes like Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz and Carl Rackemann in Queensland, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh when I was starting out, and more recently Troy Cooley with Cricket Australia. I've always been able to swing the ball but doing that consistently is the big challenge. Knowing your own game helps you to deliver more regularly and I am steadily getting to know my game better.

England conquered the Ashes with the art of reverse swing. How good are you at that art?

I can reverse the ball and have done so at first class level with the Queensland Bulls but I am definitely still learning that particular art. I'd like to be more consistent with that and hopefully with Troy Cooley being around more often, I can achieve that.

You have already ticked off Brian Lara's wicket twice and now even have Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar in your hit-list. Tell us which is the best wicket so far?

Any wicket at international level is a prized one but if I was pressed, it would probably be Lara. I've watched him and admired him for a number of years so to bowl against him was amazing, but to get him out twice was unbelievable. But I know that one swallow doesn't make a summer.

What about Sachin Tendulkar's "well-done" compliment. How much do these kind of words matter and how do they help you?

It was a really nice gesture coming from such a great player. It was a bit surreal actually. Only now after the event do you really appreciate what it meant.

Now for the batting. Even the rank tailenders like Glenn McGrath have dug in deep when times demanded them to. What can you say about your batting?

Like every bowler, I'm batting too low in the order! I had the chance to work very hard on my batting when I was injured. I played as an opening batsman for my club side and made sure I worked hard every chance I had. I'm happy with my place in the batting line-up at the moment but I'd like to bat at No 8 one day.

What about the stud on the your chin?

It's called a labret - it's just something I wanted to do when I was bit younger.

The Champions Trophy followed by the Ashes followed by the World Cup - surely you must have some goals. Give us a little peek into your ambitions?

You've just listed my immediate goals! Actually the World Cup had been more of a goal than the Ashes so I guess my chances have improved but I still have to put good performances on the board. Long term I'd like to play as many games for Australia as possible at Test, one-day and Twenty20 level. But that's only going to come with a lot of hard work.

Mitchell Johnson Australia

Nagraj Gollapudi is Assistant Editor of Cricinfo Magazine