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Mitchell Johnson

Mitchell Johnson YM
Mitchell Johnson YM Image: Wikimedia Commons. YellowMonkey/Blnguyen / CC BY-SA 4.0

Mitchell Guy Johnson (born 2 November 1981) is an Australian former cricketer who represented Australia across all three formats of international cricket from 2005 to 2015. A left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman, he is regarded as one of the leading fast bowlers of his era, particularly noted for the pace and hostility he generated during the 2013–14 Ashes series.

Key facts

Full name Mitchell Guy Johnson
Date of birth 2 November 1981
Nationality Australian
Bowling Left-arm fast
Batting Left-handed
International career 2005–2015
Total international matches for Australia 256
Retirement from international cricket November 2015
Retirement from all cricket August 2018

International career

Johnson made his international debut for Australia in 2005 and went on to become a central figure in the national bowling attack over the following decade. During his career, he was part of Australian teams that won several major International Cricket Council tournaments, including the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

In 2009, Johnson was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, given to the ICC Cricketer of the Year.

Decline and comeback

After a downturn in form in early 2013, Johnson was dropped from the Australian national team. He returned to the Test side later that year and produced a dominant performance in the 2013–14 Ashes series in Australia, in which his bowling was central to Australia's success against England. He continued his strong form in the following Test series against South Africa.

For his performances during this period, Johnson received his second Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in 2014 and was also named the ICC Test Player of the Year for the first time that year.

2015 World Cup and retirement

Johnson played a key role in the semi-final and final of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which Australia won — the country's fifth World Cup title. He retired from all forms of international cricket in November 2015, having played 256 matches for Australia in total. At the time of his retirement, he was the last active Australian player to hold a Test cap number in the 300s.

In August 2018, Johnson announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Significance

Johnson is regarded as one of the most prominent fast bowlers of his generation. In terms of time span, he is the quickest bowler to reach 150 Test wickets, achieving the milestone in 2 years and 139 days. His career is particularly noted for his role in major ICC tournament victories and his dominant displays during the 2013–14 Ashes.

References