On this day – 2nd November 1981: One of Australia’s most feared fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson, came into the world.
Johnson, infamous for his quick run-up and aggressive body language, was scouted to talent by one of Australia’s greatest cricketers, Dennis Lillee when the latter was barely 17 years old.
Challenging this call by Lillee, Johnson eventually grew to become Australia’s best left-arm fast bowler, boasting impressive statistics.
Career Statistics: A Testament to Johnson’s Skill
| Format |
Matches Played |
Balls Bowled |
Wickets Taken |
Bowling Average |
Best Figures |
| Test |
73 |
16,688 |
313 |
28.4 |
8 for 61 |
| ODI |
153 |
N/A |
239 |
25.3 |
6 for 31 |
| T20I |
30 |
N/A |
38 |
20.0 |
3 for 15 |
| IPL |
61 |
N/A |
61 |
N/A |
4 for 17 |
Ashes Heroic Efforts and Conquests in South Africa
The high water mark for Johnson was the Series that took place in 2013-14 against England in Australia.
He gave a splendid performance and completed this series with 37 wickets and an average of 13.97 only.
His breakout performance could be seen in the second Test match at Adelaide, where he bowled one of the best spells of his career, taking 5 for 16 that saw England dismantle.
Australia continued and cleanly swept England 5-0, Johnson’s raw pace instrumental in this achievement.
He maintained his superb run in the proceeding series, taking 22 wickets in three Test matches, including 12 in Centurion.
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Stellar Career Stats
In total, Johnson was a consistent wicket-taker across all formats to go with the firepower he provided towards the end of an innings.
He featured in 73 Test matches where he bowled 16688 balls and took 313 wickets against them with a single match bowling analysis of 8 wickets in 61 balls at an average of 3.33 wickets per match.
A right-handed fast bowler, he played 153 One Day Internationals, taking 239 wickets, and had 38 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals.
While being more notorious for his aggressive lower-order batting, Johnson played 93 Tests for Australia and aggregated 2065 runs at an average of 22.2; he made one century.
In his Indian Premier League, where he represented teams between 2013 and 2018, he collected 61 wickets in as many games.
Mark as the Fast Bowling Legend
Mitchell Johnson retired in 2015 and he is remembered as one of Australia powerful fast bowlers ever.
His overall career statistics so far across all formats must be a testament of his craft and commitment; nay, the astounding 37 wickets in 2013/14 Ashes would go down in Test cricket history.
Today, on Johnson’s Birthday, the lovers of the game must recall his story and achievements for Australia.
References:
ESPNCricInfo.com
Mykhel.com
