New Delhi: One of the most intimidating fast bowlers of the present era Mitchell Jhonson has finally called it a day as he announced his retirement from international cricket. At present, only South African pacer Dale Steyn can be said to be as intimidating as Johnson.
Mitchell Johnson who was also known as 'Missile Johnson' has played the most crucial part in Aussies winning the Ashes series in 2013-14. He was lethal and terrorised the English batsmen with his sheer pace. It was Johnson's pacy deliveries which helped Australia clinch the series 5-0.
Johnson showed the visiting English side that it will be a difficult tour for them in the first test at Brisbane itself where he took five wickets.
Former England cricketer Harmison wrote about Mitchell Johnson in his Daily Express column.
“This was the bowler who took 37 wickets at next to nothing apiece down under and left some of England's batsman with nightmares they are still struggling to shake off.”
Johnson has been the backbone of Australia's bowling attack in 73 tests but realized after the first innings at Perth, when he struggled for pace, that it would be tough to return to his former heights.
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Johnson's career reached its peak during the 2013-2014 Ashes series against England in which he took 37 wickets in five tests, having worked with Lillee to fine-tune his action.
He was equally damaging in Australia's subsequent series against South Africa and across those two series he took 59 wickets at an average of 15.
Johnson made his first-class debut for Queensland in 2001-2002 and reveled in the conditions at the Gabba, where the pace and bounce have helped Australia maintain an unbeaten run in Brisbane tests since 1988. He moved across the country to Perth, and was equally at home at a WACA ground that also favors pace.
Johnson said winning the Ashes series last summer and the Cricket World Cup in Australia in March 2015 were the highlights of his career.
His test career began against Sri Lanka at the Gabba in 2007 and peaked during the summer of 2013-14 when his 59 wickets in eight tests earned him the Allan Border Medal at age 32.
Once considered an allrounder, Johnson scored 2,065 test runs and posted one century - an unbeaten 123 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2008/09 - and 11 half centuries.
One of the quickest bowlers in the modern era, Johnson also played in 153 limited-overs internationals for Australia and took 239 wickets and scored 951 ODI runs.
( With Inputs from AP)
