Mitchell Johnson

[swingdog]

You should. Given the nature of the rest of your post, there was no indication that you were being sarcastic.

I am not a fan of Johnson, but tell me this. What is your problem with a bowler who took 190 test wickets at around 30, at about 4 wickets a test, and a strike rate of 56?

In addition to that, he scored around 1200 test runs at over 20.

He could have been more, but he has had a very solid test career. Why can't you have the decency to acknowledge that.

Decency? On BigFooty?

My issue is that for the past 3 years he has been picked without any expectation that he will deliver. It's been on the reputation of a stand-out series in South Africa which was repeated once in Perth last summer.

My issue is that for the past 3 years he's been mentally fragile and struggled to repeat his bowling action.

My issue is that for the past 3 years he's been viewed by the opposition as an easy target and we've had to select him because there's been nobody else. That's not Johnson's fault but it's a broader frustration with Australian cricket that there hasn't been anyone else.

 

[sherb]

Decency? On BigFooty?

My issue is that for the past 3 years he has been picked without any expectation that he will deliver. It's been on the reputation of a stand-out series in South Africa which was repeated once in Perth last summer.

My issue is that for the past 3 years he's been mentally fragile and struggled to repeat his bowling action.

My issue is that for the past 3 years he's been viewed by the opposition as an easy target and we've had to select him because there's been nobody else. That's not Johnson's fault but it's a broader frustration with Australian cricket that there hasn't been anyone else.

So your problem is with the selectors, not with the player. Be honest.

I will state again, I am no fan of Johnson. However, a strike rate of four wickets per test is no poor effort. Lee could manage no better in a side where he had McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Bichel and Kasprowicz applying significant pressure at the other end.

Plus Johsnon managed to put in some significant efforts with the bat. Look at his last test for an example of what I mean. He outdid Warne and Lee in particular in sides which were under considerably more batting pressure. Warne was a player who had the ability to average 25 in test match cricket yet couldn't be bothered to make the effort to do any better.

 

[fairdinkum]

Far too marketable to be out of the national team for long.

Wouldn't surprise me if he won us the 2013 Ashes by himself. And then proceeded to spud the joint up against some minnow nation weeks later.

 

[dumb]

for what it's worth, made the espncricinfo 2011 ODI XI

warning, link has a picture of alistair cook's face
espncricinfo xi's

his odi figures for the year as mentioned in the article

39 wickets at 20.94, Economy 4.43, 208 runs at 23.11, SR 106.12

 

[swingdog]

So your problem is with the selectors, not with the player. Be honest.

Well, that's always the case, isn't it?

Players are always going to want to play as much as possible and get paid as much as possible. That's why Dougie Bollinger is happy to turn up in those dumb Vodafone ads when he's no chance of playing test cricket any time soon.

It's not the selectors' fault that Mitch Johnson is a pea hearted bogan pie chucker, and it is their fault that they pick him.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

warning, link has a picture of alistair cook's face

What about his hair???

 

[Patty_Moz]

FWIW I saw Johnson the other night with his missus and he's still in a moonboot so he's a while away from playing any cricket whatsoever. I doubt his career is over but he's got a bit of an uphill battle to get back in the test team.

 

[sherb]

Well, that's always the case, isn't it?

Players are always going to want to play as much as possible and get paid as much as possible. That's why Dougie Bollinger is happy to turn up in those dumb Vodafone ads when he's no chance of playing test cricket any time soon.

It's not the selectors' fault that Mitch Johnson is a pea hearted bogan pie chucker, and it is their fault that they pick him.

Lillee took wickets at the rate of five a game.

Johnson took wickets at the rate of four a game.

Keep talking to me.

 

[Spook]

When Cummins is back, Johnson is going to find it very tough to get a look in. Maybe a chance in ODIs.

Definately ODIs. He was in the Cricinfo 2011 ODI team of the year. And thenif he shows goos form in Shield and Int'l ODIs then he will in up for selection like anyone else.

 

[swingdog]

Lillee took wickets at the rate of five a game.

Johnson took wickets at the rate of four a game.

Keep talking to me.

Really? You think Johnson is anywhere near Lillee?

 

[dr nick]

The selectors, whether you like it or not, put a lot of weight into ODI and T20 performances - sometimes over and above shield.

I can see him getting selected on the back of a handful of these matches.

 

[lewigie]

Still dominates ODI's. Will keep playing in them you'd think.

 

[gbatman]

Johnson is gone. When Clark became captain and the team started setting fields that the bowlers had to bowl to rather than setting fields for bad bowling started the beginning of the end for Johnson.

Craig McDermott's plan of bowl full and get the ball to move will only put more nails in the coffin. Not to mention the massive list of bowlers who are better than him that have risen since McDermott arrived and Johnson got injured.

Was a rubbish bowler getting a game due to our idiot selectors and Ponting setting fields to try and protect his bad bowling.

 

[gbatman]

Johnson is not a good bowler for ODI cricket but his batting is handy. Pattinson and Johnson can both bat, both will be good ODI players. Siddle can also bat a bit as well.

Johnson was getting a game because he is a left armer and we used to be desperate to have one in the side. It's really good to have a left armer in the side but all the left armers in the country bowl pies. The last decent left armer we had was Bracken and he has retired. It would be good to have a good quick laft armer who bowls a good outswinger and can bowl accurately but we haven't got that.

Bollinger bowls short garbage. I don't know if Cooley is responsible for destroying Bollinger and having him bowl short and all over the place or not. Johnson is no good. Strc has potential but seems to be bowling at about 70% and is lacking a bit of accuracy. Nannes is retired from long forms of the game, bowles too short and all over the place a bit too much and is getting on in years. Always felt he was a waste of talent and could have been better under a decent coach.


The ODI side will be interesting. I hope Starc plays ODI's, I recon he has a lot of improvement and could be a good bowler when he does.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Johnson is not a good bowler for ODI cricket but his batting is handy..

His record really does suggest otherwise. Also I am pretty happy to keep Siddle out of the ODI team.

 

[Parquet Court]

Lillee took wickets at the rate of five a game.

Johnson took wickets at the rate of four a game.

Keep talking to me.

still is a 10 run difference in acquiring those wickets. mitch has games where everything clicks and he poles up, other games are almost like watching some 2nd rate shield bowler look like he has no idea.

wickets alone arent indicative of a good bowler, but wickets at 32 a piece is more indicative of a plodder. and im not completely sure but his last 10 matches before that his wickets were coming at near on 40 a piece

 

[Belnakor]

Could we see Mitchell come good under Mcdermott? It seems to be pretty obvious that the previous bowling coach didn't have a clue, was tweaking actions during the game etc.

 

[sherb]

Really? You think Johnson is anywhere near Lillee?

Of course I don't.

Four wickets a test over a career of nearly 50 tests is a very creditable return for a bowler however. To highlight that point, I was simply showing that the greats of the game averaged no better than around five per test.

And I was only doing so in response to your absurd description of Johnson as a "pea hearted bogan pie chucker". Johnson is far from one of our greats, but to label him that is just childish.

 

[sherb]

still is a 10 run difference in acquiring those wickets. mitch has games where everything clicks and he poles up, other games are almost like watching some 2nd rate shield bowler look like he has no idea.

wickets alone arent indicative of a good bowler, but wickets at 32 a piece is more indicative of a plodder. and im not completely sure but his last 10 matches before that his wickets were coming at near on 40 a piece

His figures are quite similar to Brett Lee (wickets per test, average and SR).

I'm not arguing he is a great, but I am saying he has had a solid test career - contrary to some of the inane rubbish I have seen written about the guy here.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

Not sure. Mickey Arthur has talked about having a large squad of fast bowlers to rotate so Johnson may get his chance some point in the future.

But he'd want to start next season well or he'll slip even furthur down the pecking order. His overall Test career has been reasonable but the "pea hearted pie chucker" comment has certainly been applicable in the last 12 months and really, for the vast majority of the time since Ashes 2009.

 

[dan warna]

His figures are quite similar to Brett Lee (wickets per test, average and SR).

I'm not arguing he is a great, but I am saying he has had a solid test career - contrary to some of the inane rubbish I have seen written about the guy here.

concur brett lee gets a lot of credits for what is basically a long career rather than a good career.

MJ is a good solid fast bowler of international quality, but I think at 30 ish he's going to be left behind by siddle, Cummins and pattinson for the next 2 to 3 seasons if they stay fit.

No doubt average players like starc may get a look in as well.

 

[swingdog]

And I was only doing so in response to your absurd description of Johnson as a "pea hearted bogan pie chucker". Johnson is far from one of our greats, but to label him that is just childish.

Thanks Dad.

 

[frankrizzo]

Johnson career stats aren't horrific or anything but you can't pick bowlers based mostly on overall stats.

Johnson leading up to his injury was quite simply terrible, if he was taking 4 wickets a game at 30 he wouldn't have been under so much scrutiny but he wasn't, he was taking between 2-3 wickets a game at nearly 50 with an economy of 4.

You can't ignore stats like that simply because 3 years ago johnson was bowling extremely well, 3 years in test cricket is a lifetime.

 

[Kyptastic]

Johnson before 2009 Ashes:

21 (Mat) 94 (wickets) 8/61 11/159 28.01 (Avg) 2.97 (RPO) 56.5 (SR) 2 (5WI) 1 (10WM)

Johnson including and after 2009 Ashes:

26 96 (Wickets) 6/38 10/132 34.51 (Avg) 3.70 (RPO) 55.8 (SR) 5 (5WI) 1 (10WM)

Pretty big drop off in Average and Runs Per over, althouh his Strike rate actually improved. The increase in 5 wicket innings suggests that he was a lot more hot and cold after the 09 Ashes.

 

[frankrizzo]

it's been a steady downhill slide recently as well

in his last 20 tests he averaged 35

In his last 15 tests matches he averaged 40

last 10 tests he averaged 47

last 5 tests he averaged 63

Those stats are boosted as well by his expected strong perth performance without perth his last 9 tests netted him just 19 wickets at 63, he's basically been awful for 15 months apart from the WACA test.