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Mitchell Johnson

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Watching Johnson bowl in this test was enough to make me puke.

Strike bowler coming off a coupla paces and bowling medium paced pies.

FFS, this bloke's 30 years of age and must have had the best bowling coaching available.

If he hasn't sorted his action, and seam at release by now, he never will.

Most bowlers his age are masters of control, and have greater awareness of their art.

Not sure what you were watching but MJ was regularly hitting 140+ km/h off the modified run-up.
 
Watching Johnson bowl in this test was enough to make me puke.

Strike bowler coming off a coupla paces and bowling medium paced pies.

FFS, this bloke's 30 years of age and must have had the best bowling coaching available.

If he hasn't sorted his action, and seam at release by now, he never will.

Most bowlers his age are masters of control, and have greater awareness of their art.

I thought it was a good idea to try.

Fleming did it and was very successful at Test level.

It is all about rhythm and 10 or 100 paces matters little to some.

Having said that, he has looked like a guy who is in pain and has NFI.

Yet we constantly rubbish him instead of the selectors for putting him in this situation in the first place.

His batting showed he was trying as he applied himself very well.

Sadly, when someone is so woefully out of from, it is cruel to make them go on and I blame those dimwits who have been fired.
 
Why was he coming off the short run - was he injured?

nope... looked like he was just desperate to try something that would work to get his rythym back.

can't blame him for lack of inventivness there but it in all honesty i think he is just mentally not switched on when he balls. he really looks like he is just going through the motions...
 

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Watto has the dodgy hammy.. Johnny the toe.

Anybody know wat happened to his toe? Looked like he stepped on a damn sharpie whilst running but then took the boot off and nothing was there?

It looked to me like a spike had gone through the sole of his shoe and gone into his foot/ toe.
 
I don't know about you guys, but even at age 30 or whatever he is, I reckon this could spell the end of his career. It might be a bit premature, but unless he changes his action and shows some consistency in his bowling, I can't see him breaking into this Aus team with the plethora of quality, young fast bowling we have at our disposal. As harsh as it sounds, his injury is one of the best things that's happened in Australian cricket. We must not forget if he was fit, we prob wouldn't be seeing Pattinson tearing it up.

It's amazing how much better and more balanced this attack has looked this summer without Mitch. The bowling future is no doubt the bright spot in Aussie cricket, we seem to have a lot of quality young bowlers coming through. I've got no doubt if we had Johnson in the Boxing Day test, we would have not beaten India. The guys we had bowled well in partnerships and they put pressure on from both ends, whereas with Johnson in the team he usually bowls rubbish and goes for runs at one end, putting pressure on the guy down the other end.

Can anyone see Johnson breaking back into this side? I really do think it can only happen if he changes his action.
 
I'd say he needs to go back to first class cricket and do well, but it always seems like he tears it up when he plays games domestically and then spuds it upwhen back in the Australian team. He'd need to produce for a full season and others would have to fall off. He'll probably get back into the one day team, but probably not the test team.

Maybe now not being an 'automatic selection' will encourage him to work on his game and come back a better player.
 
i'm just waiting for the bigfooty meltdown when they slot him straight back into the team at the expense of a solid performing peter siddle...
 
I reckon he'll only get back into the side via injuries, or as a genuine all-rounder. Remember last time he went back to shield cricket he hit a ton.
dominated shield cricket, which comes back to what i've been harping on about all summer about how much the move up at each level if much more a mental and concentration thing than anything else.

look at brownlies early success... whether that will continue i don't know, but i don't think he'll ever find himself embarassed at this level because he has shown aptitute, a guy who puts a high price on his wickets, and isn't prone to concentration errors.

johnson isn't a direct comparison because he is a bowler but his inability to keep pressure on indicates serious concentration issues.
 
i'm just waiting for the bigfooty meltdown when they slot him straight back into the team at the expense of a solid performing peter siddle...

*shakes fist at you* Now I know who to blame when it happens

@Black Thunder:
Whilst I agree the step up between the ears is the main thing that separates shield from test level, concentration probably isn't the correct word for it. Purely arguing terminology here, but I doubt there's been a bowler in the history of cricket that hasn't had to concentrate in his or her delivery stride.
 

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*shakes fist at you* Now I know who to blame when it happens

@Black Thunder:
Whilst I agree the step up between the ears is the main thing that separates shield from test level, concentration probably isn't the correct word for it. Purely arguing terminology here, but I doubt there's been a bowler in the history of cricket that hasn't had to concentrate in his or her delivery stride.

Chris Mathews may have wanted to try that concentration thing. Just once or twice.
 
mitchell johnson will be 31 before he's fit and trying to push for test selection again.

it may be tough for him to get back in with the emergence of some of the young bowlers.

traditionally well certainly in my time following cricket bowlers in the test arena for australia, are done and dusted at 34. the only quicks in my time have been the 2 greats to keep playing after 34 (lillee and mcgrath - oh and miller who was picked as a spinner but bowled mediums too).

so to me that says johnson has 3 summers in him at the best, if he's good enough to get back in.

harris as well doesn't have long left, and he wouldn't want to keep breaking down otherwise the selectors will move on.
 
Regardless of age, I just dont think he's a very good bowler. Watching him lately, I cant believe a test cricketer could bowl so loosely. He seems to be a hit and miss bowler, relying on luck that the ball lands for him. Sure, once in a blue moon he rips out a few snorters, but gee he is wayward the majority of the time. He's doneski, especially now that we have some really really good quicks coming through.
 

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feel for the bloke. but he's gone

just doesn't have an action which can repeatedly land it where he has to. similar to tait without the physical frailty. test cricket is not for him, but hopefully a limited overs career can be profitable for him
 
It's unlikely that he'll return (and so that should be the case).

It's a shame that he didn't live up to his potential. I was one of his biggest backers for a long time and he looked like he was going to kick-on and become world-class in 2008/09, but it never really happened. Unfortunately for him, he sort of epitomises what has been wrong with AUS cricket over the past few years - poor coaching, mental fragility, inconsistency and general futility.

Could things have been different if he came in during AUS cricket's 'golden era'? Maybe, maybe not.

By the time he is able to challenge for a Test position, he'll be 31. Maybe he can turn back the clock for a year or two, but it seems doubtful right now.
 
I can see him playing T20s for a few more years, and maybe one dayers, but definitely not Tests. He used to be one of my favourite players too, which sucks.
 
I think people are being a bit hasty to write him off so quickly.

It's bloody hard to improve your action whilst you're actually playing. Perhaps less gametime and more time practising in the nets will allow him to get his arm back in the correct position. Ideally, the Australian line-up would have a left-arm bowler and I can see Johnson getting his spot back, if he's prepared to work hard enough.
 
In his last 10 tests he averaged 47 with the ball and 16 with the bat at an economy of nearly 4 an over.

He's the wrong side of 30 and before he got injured his game was going downhill rapidly

I personally think if he had actually been made to earn his spot back after he was dropped from the ashes he might have come back this season and had a chance at long test career but despite his game and mind being in complete disarray they recalled him after one test, yes he bowled well at perth but it's been downhill since that one game.

The handling of johnson is another black mark on the hilditch era, ponting has to take some blame too not only did he campaign for johnson to be recalled he never wanted him dropped in the first place this is despite it being clear that johnson was a complete mess.
 

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