Mitchell Johnson

[Bomber Bears]

Starc is both injured and averages 35 in first class cricket, if you are going to pluck and uncapped bluebag Trent Copeland is the man.

But it will be interesting if either rips through WA on the weekend.

I also hate the talk that 'oh dropping Johnson would weaken our batting too much.' You pick your four best bowlers, batting ability is a bonus. We shouldnt have to rely on them to get runs, our middle order should do that. Sort out Hussey and North and you dont have to worry about who is from 8-11, none of them are muppets of the McGrath variety with the bat anyway.

 

[Rough_Edges]

He is a terrible bowler who has made a name for himself bowling way wide outside off stump and getting lucky wickets.

A fraud of the highest order and today was no different to how he usually bowls except none of the batsmen got sucked in to the terrible stuff he bowled.

 

[frankrizzo]

since the start of the 09 ashes he's averaging 32 with the ball and 13 with the bat)

Same time frame bollinger is averaging 23 with the ball.

How many years after the South African tests are we going to pick this bloke in the hope he magically transforms back into a series winning bowler?

England pissed away 3 years on harmision hoping he recaptured his form from the west indies until they realized maybe just maybe the bloke just hit an unsustainable purple patch that was never going to repeat.

With bollinger and harris both pushing for selection johnsons place is unjustifiable.

 

[TassieSaint]

This thread is equally if not more likely to be bumped in vengeful fashion than the Siddle one

 

[aussie1st]

Wouldn't surprise me to see Johnson pull out a 5 fer but if not then it's time to move on. We need consistent bowlers that will take wickets aka Harris and Bollinger not bowlers that will produce that awesome spell one in every 2 years.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Johnson played well in his shield game so he deserved to play but I feel his time in the test side is running out fast. He's not accurate, he doesn't move the ball, he seem's to have slowed down to find accuracy and it's not working.

When batsmen stop slashing at his wide shit he'll stop getting wickets. Every one's got a look at him in world cricket and they aren't going to go out to him twice.

Bollinger or Starc are looking better options at the moment.

He played Victoria B. And that was a Victoria B that was then down a bowler, not to mention its best bowler and probably its best batsman, when McDonald broke his hand.

 

[Bomber Bears]

This thread is equally if not more likely to be bumped in vengeful fashion than the Siddle one

Nah, Johnson isnt Victorian

 

[benny_cousins]

Operation get siddle out didn't work so now we've moved on to Johnson hey?

 

[dumb]

think you're being a bit insulting to rat shit.


seriously though, have to feel for a guy who has to wear the label given to him by lillee. once in a generation bowler... as if that doesn't put any pressure on you.
hopefully he only takes bags occasionally... because the other bowlers are chipping in with theirs. the reliance on johnson and his failure is also an indictment on the other bowlers.

 

[Gazza_11]

Oh yay. An idiot said this about Siddle and he gunned it like we knew he would.

Pitch didn't suit Johnson yesterday. I know that doesn't say much about his ability to bowl on different tracks but it was quite a soft deck. A bit firmer tomorrow, and he really needs the ball carrying through. Should go a bit better.

Although I'm not sure we can afford to play him in Adelaide, considering it is a very flat deck and you need to be a very good pace bowler to not go for runs there with the small boundaries too.

 

[Ill Chicken]

I don't think it matters if the pitch is soft or hard if you're bowling down leg, wide and short.

 

[Duncan Disorderly]

From an English perspective Johnson is still Australia's most dangerous bowler IMO.

Day 1 was quite a slowish pitch by Australian standards and the humid conditions meant that he would get shown up by both swing bowlers and those who get seam movement off the pitch.

If the sun is out and the surface gets quicker then I see Cook in particular and Strauss to a lesser extent being vulnerable to Johnson if he bowls a fuller length just outside off stump.

Bell and Prior can also get into trouble slashing at any delivery Johnson slants across them from over the wicket.

 

[dan warna]

Got to say I like MJ

He's got that botham / freddie factor about him.

He's a spud 50% of the time and a match winner 20% of the time and average the remaining 30% of the time.

Most players are either good or bad or average, he's sort of the Kouta of the test side.

You keep him around for the 2 or 3 test every year when he tears a new one for the opposition.

And frankly if we had a great bowler to take his spot we'd have selected them. We have a battery of good ordinary international class bowlers.

There are no McGraths or Warne's or Gillespies in form enough to do it regularly enough.

 

[Jimthegreat]

If you look closely, you can spot the rat running down his arm and turning around to bring the next rock into the world as Mitch gathers at the crease.

Should've been Johnson out, Bollinger in. What a slap in the face.

Worked for Siddle, hopefully the same for Johnson...lol!

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

This should never be a consideration, but I would think it is .... Johnson's batting. Could you imagine the Australian tail if Bollinger replaced Johnson? It would be Doherty, Siddle, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus. Not many runs there.

 

[amer]

Worked for Siddle, hopefully the same for Johnson...lol!

I'm hoping as much!

 

[frankrizzo]

Johnson has batted like a number 10 for the last 18 months, his bowling and only his bowling should be considered when picking the team.

 

[Goldencats]

This should never be a consideration, but I would think it is .... Johnson's batting. Could you imagine the Australian tail if Bollinger replaced Johnson? It would be Doherty, Siddle, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus. Not many runs there.

7 ducks in his last 13 digs, so I don't think it's his batting that entices the selectors, he really has lost the plot with both the ball and bat for that matter

 

[fraser25]

his two maiden overs today were utter tripe. this guy is garbage.

 

[Eth]

This should never be a consideration, but I would think it is .... Johnson's batting. Could you imagine the Australian tail if Bollinger replaced Johnson? It would be Doherty, Siddle, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus. Not many runs there.

Six ducks in the last twelve innings.

Congratulations on being picked in the second test Dougie

 

[King Elvis]

We've got North, a batsmen who is in the team for his bowling.

And Mitchy, a bowler who is in the team for his batting.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

Absolutely massive day for him tomorrow. He's got 20-odd overs to save his immediate Test career. The good thing is he has a proven record of performing under pressure. Yeah right.

Ryan Harris is the bowler I want in the team but I guess Doug the Rug is the next cab off the rank.

 

[djrossie16]

I think it's not outside the realms of possibility that we could see Johnson and Doherty make way for Bollinger and O'Keafe soon. I honestly think we don't lose much as a side if this happens.

 

[Goldencats]

Absolutely massive day for him tomorrow. He's got 20-odd overs to save his immediate Test career. The good thing is he has a proven record of performing under pressure. Yeah right.

Ryan Harris is the bowler I want in the team but I guess Doug the Rug is the next cab off the rank.

Agree it's a massive day for him but there's just no way they will drop him, absolutely no way, I mean it's hard enough for that dud Marcus North to get out of the side, Johnson has actually proved himself at this level but has been horribly out of form for a year, whereas North either scores less than ten or makes a century when the innings has already been set

 

[Bucking Beads]

If we win Johnson is in the 2nd test team if we lose he is gone, if we draw well you can flip a coin I guess.