Mitchell Johnson, perhaps one of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, has retired from all forms of international cricket. He took the decision following the end of the WACA Test against New Zealand.
Johnson’s retirement will be celebrated by batsmen across the world, especially those in the England cricket team. But he will be missed by a majority of cricket fans, as he was one of the biggest stars of the modern game.
Johnson didn’t really have great figures in Perth, going for 157 runs and getting only 1 wicket, which was the most expensive spell by an Australian bowler there. Perhaps that’s one of the factors that contributed to his retirement – pitches are getting flatter and docile all over the world, there’s little that a fast bowler can do, even someone as fast as Johnson.
Johnson admitted that he was no longer having fun playing cricket. Flanked by his wife Jessica, as well as teammates Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in the press conference, he said, “I’m really happy with my decision and I just lost that hunger in the end to play out on those tough days, that’s where my decision came. That’s something I used to really enjoy about Test cricket, the challenge of those really difficult days out there and I just wasn’t enjoying it out there.
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“The first innings bowling was my final decision. Spoke to Jess my wife about it and my manager Sam and Smithy and Boof and spoke to the boys and let them know last night that I was finishing up in all forms. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a year now to be honest, on and off. The World Cup I thought that was a good time to go out in one day cricket but also with young guys in the team I also felt like I could help them through. But ultimately I felt like I couldn’t compete at this level anymore and lost that hunger.”
Johnson’s final wickets in Test cricket were those of Tom Latham and Martin Guptill, who he bounced out with his typical menacing pace. He spoke about how that made him feel, “Nice feeling. Definitely put a smile on my face. I still knew I’ve made the right decision even when I was out there and playing like that. I still knew. But I really enjoyed it and to play in front of my friends and family, a pretty amazing feeling when the crowd is right behind you.
“The sound that’s going through your ears and emotion running in a few times. Pretty focused on the job. Was hoping for a few more wickets, was nice to finish with a trademark of my career and [Guptill] caught in close like that – really wanted to finish like that and it’s good when you can.”
Johnson’s retirement follows the exit of six other long time players from the Australian team following the defeat in this year’s Ashes in England. Ryan Harris, Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin have left as well. So we have a completely new generation of young players in the Australian side.
Johnson was carried off the field by Josh Hazlewood and his most obvious successor, the fast and furious Mitchell Starc. Johnson spoke about his emotional following the last sendoff: “When the boys picked me up that was probably a bit more emotional – I didn’t really want them to do it. They’ve been so great through my whole career, been so supportive and really enjoyed playing cricket with those guys. A little tear in the eye when they picked me up.”
John said he spoke to the legendary Dennis Lillee before arriving at the decision, who had advised him to continue playing at a lower pace for 3 or 4 more years. But Johnson decided against it as he only wants to bowl fast, and would rather quit cricket than bowl at a lesser pace.
Johnson explained, “I spoke to him in the six weeks I had home before this series and he said I at least had another three or four more years left in me. Not bowling at 150kph but doing similar to what he did. Just bowling at that lower pace but doing something a bit more with the ball but at the back of my mind I was thinking I only want to bowl fast – that’s how I’ve bowled my whole career.
“That was something I remember Brett Lee talking about before his retirement. He said basically he just wanted to bowl fast and if he ever got to the point where he couldn’t bowl fast than he was done as well, so I felt like I was on that wave length as well, but we had a pretty good discussion about it. I sent him a message this morning and he’s been a huge part of my career.”
Johnson has played 73 Tests, and has claimed 311 wickets for his country, only behind only Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee. He will always be remembered for this role in Australia’s 5-0 Ashe win against England in 2013-14. His bowling in that series was lethally fast and dangerous. The English batsmen were terrorized and even psychologically damaged by his furious pace.
Johnson reflects: “That was definitely a huge moment in my career and it’s something that I guess I would have had regrets if I hadn’t come back from there. I spoke to my wife about it and something I really wanted to work hard on coming back into the team and I really enjoyed that challenge and it really made me excited about playing cricket and coming back from injury [in 2011-12] and working really hard and I guess testing myself.
“I felt like I hadn’t given my best at that stage in my career and felt like I had a lot to give. The last couple of years were really exciting for me and just became really confident in my ability and in my action. Learn to become more comfortable in myself. Wasn’t content but just knew what I needed to do and what it took to be your best. It was an exciting time throughout my career and something I will always cherish and always have those memories.”
What a player! At IndiaBet.org, we wish Mitchell Johnson all the best for the future, and thank him for all the brilliant memories.
