Mitchell Johnson

Lore & Background

Johnson was born and raised in Townsville, Queensland. His first sporting love was tennis with his idol being Pete Sampras. At 14 he was offered the opportunity to move to Brisbane to further his tennis career but turned it down. It was not until the age of 17 that Johnson gave up on his childhood dream of being a professional tennis player and began focusing on cricket. When Johnson attended a fast bowling clinic in Brisbane at age 17, former Test fast bowler Dennis Lillee identified him as a 'once-in-nine-lives prospect'. Lillee contacted former teammate Rod Marsh and arranged for Johnson to join the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. Johnson subsequently played for the Australian Under-19 team that toured England in 1999, however recurrent back injuries hampered his prospects. He recovered to start his first-class career two years later, when he was selected to play state cricket for his native Queensland. Playing for Queensland against New Zealand, Johnson hit a six off the first ball he faced in first-class cricket. In September 2005, he was in the Australia A cricket team that toured Pakistan. Johnson switched from the Queensland Bulls to the Western Warriors on 25 July 2008.

Reader's Guide

Johnson was awarded the International Cricket Council's Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (ICC Cricketer of the Year) in 2009. After suffering a drop in form that led to his removal from the national team in early 2013, he was particularly successful in his 'comeback' to the Australian Test squad during the 2013–14 Ashes series in Australia, during which he dominated England's batting. He cemented his place in the Australian team in the following Test series against South Africa and was rewarded with his second Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and first ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2014. He played a key role in the semi-final and final matches of the 2015 World Cup, which ultimately culminated in Australia winning the World Cup for the fifth time. Johnson retired from all forms of international cricket in November 2015, having represented Australia in a total of 256 matches. He was the last active Australian player with a Test cap number in the 300s. In terms of time span, Johnson is also the quickest bowler to reach 150 Test wickets, doing so in 2 years and 139 days. In August 2018, Johnson announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

Did You Know?

• Johnson was awarded the ICC Cricketer of the Year in 2009, and again in 2014.
• Johnson reached 150 Test wickets in 2 years and 139 days, not 8 years and 33 days.