Why Johnson should be dropped for the Ashes
It seemed unfathomable a mere 18 months ago.
But Mitchell Johnson – England’s Ashes destroyer in the 2013-14 series – could find himself dropped for the next Test between cricket’s oldest rivals.
Johnson’s numbers in Australia’s 5-0 whitewash of that glorious summer were simply staggering.
• Smith top dog in Test batting rankings
• Windies blown away, Australia turns to Ashes
• Brendon Julian’s awkward slip of the tongue
Bowling searing left-arm pace, he finished with 37 wickets at a sublime average of 13.97.
A familiar sight in the 2013-14 Ashes as Johnson celebrates a wicket. Photo: Getty
And it wasn’t just that he took wickets. It was the way he got them.
Johnson’s aggressive barrage of short-pitched bowling – complemented by swing and an often-unplayable yorker – saw England disintegrate, both on the cricket field and mentally.
He was angry, lippy and very fast.
Kevin Pietersen admitted in October last year that England were “scared” of Johnson and that he was “really worried” and “petrified” of the Aussie spearhead.
So what’s changed?
Well, Johnson has dropped a few yards in pace. It’s understandable, given he turns 34 in November.
But in that famous Ashes series, he often bowled quicker than 150km/h, occasionally edging towards 155km/h.
In the recent series in the West Indies, Johnson hovered around the 140km/h mark.
He looks tired after a heavy schedule that has seen him cram the home Tests and one-day internationals, World Cup, Indian Premier League and the West Indies tour into just over six months.
Cricket Australia wanted him to skip the IPL, offering incentives to the paceman, Brad Haddin and Ryan Harris in the hope they’d rest up for the Ashes.
Haddin and Harris accepted, but Johnson, understandably, wanted to cash in.
Will it cost him a spot in the first Test?
Tellingly, Johnson did not open the bowling in the second Test in Jamaica. It was the first time he had not done so, when selected, since a 2013 Test in Delhi.
Put simply, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are bowling better.
Hazlewood was the major positive out of the West Indies tour, taking 12 wickets at an average of 8.83 and an economy rate of 1.86.
That’s after 12 wickets in three Tests against India in the summer at 29.33 – an average better than anyone else who took a wicket in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that was played on pitches that resembled the Hume Highway.
Hazlewood does not have the pace of Mitchell Starc or Johnson but his lovely, uncomplicated action, consistent line and length, movement off the seam – both ways – and superb economy rate means he has all the tools to lead Australia’s attack for many years to come.
The Duke ball – used in the West Indies and England – gave Hazlewood no problems. Instead, he thrived. He should do the same in English conditions.
Undroppable: Josh Hazlewood was outstanding in the West Indies. Photo: Getty
Then there’s Starc, who is in career-best form. He’s bowling fast, swinging it and is capable of making the world’s best batsmen look silly.
The concern over Starc has been his tendency to bowl too many bad balls but he has undoubtedly improved in that regard.
A strong New Year’s Test in Sydney was followed by a breakout World Cup, where he led Australia to victory with 22 wickets, and 10 scalps at 16.00 in the West Indies make him a very likely selection.
He also played in the IPL, but at 25 and with only 17 Tests under the belt, is better equipped to deal with a hectic schedule.
And when selector Mark Waugh calls Starc “probably about the best fast bowler in world cricket at the moment – red or white ball”, you can’t see him getting dropped.
So that leaves Johnson and Ryan Harris.
Harris is our top-ranked bowler, fourth in the Test standings. His record is outstanding – 113 wickets in 27 Tests at 23.52.
He was also our best bowler by some distance on the 2013 Ashes Tour.
Harris took 24 scalps at 19.58 in four Tests, with Peter Siddle (17 wickets) the only other Aussie to take more than 11. Without Harris, the margin could have been far worse than a 3-1 defeat.
And Johnson’s record in England? A total of seven Tests, for 23 wickets and an expensive average of 37.73.
His record in the Windies – eight wickets at 18.62 – was far from bad, but he just isn’t bowling with the same vigour.
Some may argue that just the sight of Johnson will put fear into the English batting line-up, and that they’re mentally scarred from the last Ashes series.
But of England’s eight specialist batsmen and two wicketkeepers who played in 2013-14, Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior have retired. Pietersen has been banished. And Michael Carberry and Jonny Bairstow have been dropped.
It’s a relatively new-look England side.
Harris is also fresher than Johnson, having missed the West Indies tour to be at home for the birth of his first child.
That may count against Harris. Johnson could play the opener because the 35-year-old isn’t match fit.
But it doesn’t seem likely.
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