Without Johnson, Australia would not have won that series 5-0 and who knows perhaps Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen would both still be involved with the England team in some capacity. Johnson finished them both off. He created cracks in a team that had won the previous three Ashes series. He started it all off in the first Test Brisbane bowling one of the most ferocious spells I have ever seen from a fast bowler and never let up.
From that moment on we knew we had a different Mitchell Johnson on our hands. He was at the top of his game. With Ryan Harris’s support and a spinner in Nathan Lyon capable of tying up an end, Johnson was able to concentrate on bowling quickly. In 2009-10 when he was clearly hurt by all the stick he received form the Barmy Army and he was bowling in a poor Australian side.
He then missed the 2013 series in England and that helped. It meant he started the series at home in Australia without the pressure of expectation and England expected him to crumble again. They were wrong.
I only faced him twice, both in warm-up matches, and never had the chance to bat against Johnson in a Test match with the pressure on. But from the sidelines I could see the reason why batsmen hated facing him. I might be doing him a disservice but I think the fact even he did not know what was going to come out of his hand made it very hard for the batsmen to line him up.
Mitchell Johnson is saluted by his teammates at the Waca in Perth
When a bowler has repeatable pace and movement you can start to gauge how to play them and work out a method. With Johnson it was very difficult because each ball could be different.
Sometimes he would run in, bowl the perfect ball nipping it back into the right hander at pace. The next delivery he would lose his action a little bit and bowl the ball across the batsman. If he got his bouncer right it would fizz at the batsman at 95mph. He might try it again next ball, get it slightly wrong and bowl the same ball 10mph slower.
Nemesis: For Mitchell Johnson in 2013-14, read Alan Davidson in 1958-59 Photo: GETTY IMAGES
On hard Australian pitches he would catch batsmen on the crease with his pace. In England he did not have the same potency because the slower surfaces nullified that extra speed. But with the next Ashes series due to be in Australia in 2017-18, I can guarantee there are many English batsmen relieved today he has retired.
I am not surprised he has walked away. I think it is a great way to bow out, without fanfare on his home ground and with a new batch of Australian quick bowlers coming through. His time was up and he knew it.
Mitchell Johnson trains on Monday ahead of the third Ashes Test
We only saw flashes of his old self during the last series. There was a spell at Edgbaston in the third Test when he knocked over Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes with short balls but the conditions did not suit his style and he never really posed the same threat as in 2013-14.
It was a shame because watching a left arm fast bowler like Johnson is a rare privilege. There are not many left in the game and guys like him and Wahab Riaz always make something happening, either good or bad.
Some will say he was fragile mentally. But he was still bowling at full pace in his mid-30s and it takes real mental strength to be able to keep up your speeds at that age.
Good luck to @MitchJohnson398 who has always been a special bowler. Got to know him well at @mipaltan and enjoyed his aggressive approach!
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) November 17, 2015
What an athlete! One of the best I ever played with. To @mitchjohnson398 & jessicabratichjohnson? https://t.co/siXHUNY4kg
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) November 17, 2015
The fact he was the pantomime villain for England fans was a mark of respect. They do not bother to rile players they know pose no threat to their team. The England fans knew that if Johnson clicked he could blow England away in an hour and turn a match in a session.
Leading Australia Test wicket takers
| Bowler | Test wickets |
|---|---|
| Shane Warne | 708 |
| Glenn McGrath | 563 |
| Dennis Lillee | 355 |
| Mitchell Johnson | 311 |
| Brett Lee | 310 |
| Craig McDermott | 291 |
| Jason Gillespie | 259 |
| Richie Benaud | 248 |
| Graham McKenzie | 246 |
| Ray Lindwall | 228 |
He is probably just short of making it into an Australia all time XI but if you were to pick an XI made up of impact players, guys capable of winning matches with a spell of brilliance, then Johnson would be in the side.
Would I want to face him? No. Would I want him in my side? Absolutely.
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