Mitchell Johnson

[Japes]

Hilfenhaus looks the only Test quality bowler in our attack at the moment.

The rest are horrible.

 

[Z_K]

****ing distasteful. Maybe get mummy over there to tell him everything will be ok. I almost feel sorry for the bloke.

 

[WindyHillWinners]

In very poor form. They on SBS had a go about his action before as well and how he doesnt get the seems to hold up or any movement. He relies basically on pure pace and once that dries up at whatever age he is finished imo

 

[King Elvis]

In very poor form. They on SBS had a go about his action before as well and how he doesnt get the seems to hold up or any movement. He relies basically on pure pace and once that dries up at whatever age he is finished imo

Nah.

His angle and bounce are really good, and if he can get it cutting/seaming back a bit, he's lethal.

But at the moment, the pitches are dead so he's got no bounce, his angles are ****ed and all over the shop, he's not hitting the seam so getting no cut, he's not keeping the seam straight so he's not moving it through the air., his bowling arm is too low and he's falling away in his delivery stride.

Seriously, he is literally doing almost nothing right at the moment - it's unbelievable; he cannot get anything happening consistently.

They need to figure out what the hell is wrong with him, or they need to drop him. He's that bad at the moment, it's dragging the entire side down

 

[Ill Chicken]

An innings in test cricket is a long time, so he does have the time to change it around. As previously said, the statistics are against him so I can't see it happening. Australia are pretty much two bowlers and a half bowlers at the moment, it'll put the pressure on the rest of team and the top order especially come tomorrow.

 

[aussie1st]

He did seem to get some movement away with the 2nd new ball. So maybe things are picking up.

 

[Belnakor]

Johnno will come good.

Maybe we need to consider dropping Hussey and playing 5 bowlers

 

[fairdinkum]

Maybe we need to consider dropping Hussey and playing 5 bowlers

Sounds good to me.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Mitchell got some reverse swing towards the end. Maybe his mum called him up to comfort him.

 

[King Elvis]

Mitchell got some reverse swing towards the end. Maybe his mum called him up to comfort him.

5 wickets last Test, 2 this one; just imagine if he was actually bowling half decent?

 

[Donnie Darko]

5 wickets last Test, 2 this one; just imagine if he was actually bowling half decent?

I dont think the decks over here suit his bowling as much.
Like in South Africa.

 

[Mundy]

Pretty obvious that he's trying to fiddle with his action. He's turning himself more side on, pushing that front arm higher to close himself off.

He knows, and I think the coaching staff know, that he's not going to get the job done off the deck, he needs to get the job done in the air. Once it clicks he'll be fine.

 

[outabounds]

Pretty obvious that he's trying to fiddle with his action. He's turning himself more side on, pushing that front arm higher to close himself off.

He knows, and I think the coaching staff know, that he's not going to get the job done off the deck, he needs to get the job done in the air. Once it clicks he'll be fine.

Agree with that,but...... we are almost certainly going to go 1 down here and we cannot afford afford a repeat of this performance- he should be dropped. He has set the tone for Australias poor performance in this test and probably cost us nearly 100 runs. There was no mercy for Krezja in this situation. He gets a lot of wickets from crap balls or the one in 30 that he puts in the spot. I think he will be a better bowler if he gets a harsh message now and realizes that he not an automatic selection - which he seems to be. The English players will go after him again and if that occurs again in Edgbaston - the ashes will be gone.

 

[amer]

I dont think the decks over here suit his bowling as much.
Like in South Africa.

If you seriously think that's all it is, you need to take a good look at yourself. Hitting all the wrong areas, his action has become wonky, as Elvis said he is all over the shop with everything he's doing. And it's killing us at the moment.

 

[SdKfz 181]

Johnno will come good.

Maybe we need to consider dropping Hussey and playing 5 bowlers

Idiotic comment, yeh drop a proven scorer when he is just coming back into form(top scorer for australia in this test match). If you were going to drop a batsman it would be North, as he is still very fresh(even though he scored a tonne in cardiff, a duck in the 1st innings at lords), Johnson has to go, bring in Stuart Clark.

 

[King Elvis]

Idiotic comment yourself mate.

I love Hussey, but he's been struggling for ages; makes one half decent score, and you're saying drop North instead? That's crazy.


Anyway, don't want to get into an argument about that here - everybody watch the video, that's Mitch destroying the Saffers; 3 wickets, 2 hospitalisations, as hostile and close to unplayable as you'll see.


[YOUTUBE]c9hcZWVb7PI[/YOUTUBE]

Compare his action there, versus now, what's gone wrong?

I think his arm is a bit lower - but I think the main thing is he's falling away hugely in his delivery stride here; and obviously his follow through is weird as a result.

Kahuna also thought he might've changed his run-up?

Seriously guys, check it out, watch his delivery stride and action, and compare it to his bowling at present - what the **** has changed to reduce our strike bowler to a liability?

 

[aussie1st]

Wrist and arm position are the main problem. Really is worrying to see him that far off, a bowler should have their action sorted at this stage of their career especially an International.

 

[King Elvis]

Wrist and arm position are the main problem. Really is worrying to see him that far off, a bowler should have their action sorted at this stage of their career especially an International.

I've had a few late nights; have the commentators questioned whether Mitchell is (possibly at the suggestion of somebody) trying to change his action to try and get more swing in the British conditions? Or has that just been some forum speculation?

 

[aussie1st]

Commentators have basically been rubbishing his ability to swing the ball because of his wrist position. I don't think hes changed his action to get swing because if you can get the ball to swing in SA then that is the action to bring to England. He seems to have gone back to his old bowling style and hence hes conceding alot more runs than we have seen in the past few series.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I dont think the decks over here suit his bowling as much.
Like in South Africa.

Maybe not in terms of bounce, cut, etc, but the technique of bowling doesn't alter depending on the condition of the pitch. Whether it's a slow featherbed or a quick bouncing deck, you still bowl with the same action, and more importantly, the same line.

We simply cannot say his disgraceful line and length is because the English wickets don't suit him as much. He has been pathetic in the first two Tests and, like Haddin, really doesn't deserve a place in the team at present.

I'd be flying Bruce Reid over there to work with Johnson.

 

[likka]

I said in the match thread that this sort of performance can scar a bowler psychologically. He has not just had a couple of bad games, his performance is comparable to Baker-Finch shooting 92 in the first round of the British Open. It has been that bad.

If Punter's stubborn streak influences a decision to stick with him throughout this series and he doesn't improve massively then it will cost us The Ashes.

Science knows how many runs England will score in a day if MJ stays in the pie shop and Lee is selected for the third test.

One would think an injury may actually be a good think for Mitch. At the moment he genuinely had no idea where each ball is going, which is unacceptable.

 

[Cousin Jed]

Well he'll be playing in the practice game we know that much.

He has little to no idea where the ball is going.
The ball is being dragged down far too much.
And the thing is most of his deliveries seem to be almost getting "stuck in the pitch." Batsmen seem to have an age to play him.

 

[King Elvis]

Good call Jed - it's almost like in indoor cricket; the ball seems to be sitting up off the pitch a lot, not climbing bounce or anything, just sitting up for the batsmen to put it away.

 

[Cleavy]

Cooley travels with the team, right? If so, get him MJ in the nets after play and attempt to correct the problem

 

[Cousin Jed]

Cricinfo speculation

Three recurring themes have emerged from conversations with sources close to Johnson on both sides of the Australian camp. They are, in no particular order, a lowering of arm height, an attempt to bowl too quickly and a domestic situation in which Johnson's mother has publicly harangued his fiancée in the Australian tabloids.