Johnson targets Broad, England's tail

A revitalised Mitchell Johnson, the man some battle-scarred members of England’s whitewashed Ashes team of 2013-14 still see in their nightmares, has warned his rival tail-end batsmen to get ready for another medley of chin music now that he’s rediscovered his top speed.

One of the key strategic moves at the start of that five-nil series win in Australia 18 months ago was the pre-meditated attack on England’s lower-order batsmen, a tactic that was designed to exhibit the home team’s ruthless aggression as much as limit the contribution from the tourists’ tail.

It reached its zenith towards the end of the opening Test in Brisbane when England seamer James Anderson, who along with his fellow bowlers had already been targeted by Australia’s quicks, was warned by skipper Michael Clarke to prepare himself for a "broken f...ing arm".

Johnson, who believes he is back to the bowling speeds he exhibited during that summer (a claim seconded by Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and bowling coach Craig McDermott), has foreshadowed a re-run of that ploy, particularly against Stuart Broad.

Despite having a Test century to his name and legitimate claims to allrounder status earlier in his career, Broad’s batting has gone backwards after being struck twice in the head in recent times including an incident against India last year when the ball lodged in the grille of his protective helmet.

Quick Single: Broad's alarming batting decline

"I think so," Johnson said recently when asked if the England’s tailenders' frailty against fast bowling would encourage him and his fellow quicks to serve up regular short stuff when Ashes hostilities resume in Cardiff tomorrow (Wednesday).

"You’ve got to target the vulnerabilities of their tail and they have struggled in recent times.

"They obviously didn’t like it on the fast pitches in Australia but it might be a little more difficult here.

"It's something that’s worth a try, especially to guys like Broad who have struggled recently and he’s probably lost his ability a bit there.

"It’s something that we’ll definitely be talking about and looking to do again."

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Johnson says he's bowling quicker than he has all year // Getty

Also reminiscent of that previous Ashes series in which Johnson took 37 wickets (the most by an Australia bowler in a five-Test Ashes series at home) at an average of 13.97, will be Clarke’s use of his fastest bowler in short, very sharp spells.

Johnson said his rhythm, fitness and excitement levels are currently so high he delivered a five-over spell early in the opening tour match against Kent in Canterbury that served as his one and only match hit-out prior to the Test series beginning.

But such a lengthy stint is likely to be a rarity in the Test matches, with even briefer spells at full-throttle looming as more likely.

"What works really well for me is those three or four-over spells, they’re really crucial for me to be able to wind it up and bowl fast," Johnson said.

"We know the wickets over here are generally slower but we saw (during the Kent game) that if you bang it in you can really get it through.

"I think that’s something that Michael (Clarke) is to use me for again, those short, sharp spells."

Johnson has conceded his bowling speed was down during the previous Australia summer for a variety of reasons, but Haddin – best placed of anyone to judge given his position behind the stumps – was unequivocal about the pace that the 33-year-old mustered against Kent.

"He was quick, he had really good rhythm from the start," Australia’s veteran wicketkeeper said after that match.

"He was swinging the ball and I remember running to him after the first over and saying 'you're on' and he said he felt really, really good.

"His pace was outstanding, the ball was heavy (hitting Haddin’s gloves hard) which is a really good sign (and) from where I was standing his rhythm through the crease was outstanding.

"He bowled a couple of balls that excited me most late (on the final day of that game at Canterbury).

"I know the (Kent) tail had come in and we know how Mitch attacks the tail, but a couple of those balls were as fast as I've kept to him in a long time - probably since South Africa (in early 2014) and England last time we played.

"To have his pace at the back end of that game on a pretty placid wicket like that was pretty exciting from where we were."

Those thoughts were echoed McDermott, who has been instrumental in Johnson reclaiming his status as one of the game’s most feared fast bowlers, on the eve of the much-hyped opening Test at Swalec Stadium.

"Jono (Johnson) is bowling quicker here than he has for a while, and swinging the ball nicely," McDermott said shortly after the Australians completed their main pre-Test training session on Monday.

WATCH: Johnson's athleticism close up

"(His) arm path has got a bit better over here (in England), a bit higher and he's got his seam in a better position, and he's just got a real spring in his step at the minute.

"So that's good for us, and hopefully not good for the Poms."

Johnson wasn’t part of the Test squad that lost the previous Ashes series on British soil in 2013, but he was here in 2009 when he suffered a forgettable tour, lost his way during a terrible Test at Lord’s and was pilloried mercilessly by English cricket’s patriotic choristers the Barmy Army.

"It doesn’t get me angry, it just frustrates me that stuff," he said of that tour, before adding some of the old Barmy Army taunts had re-emerged during the 2013-14 summer in Australia and even at quaint, quiet Canterbury last month.

"A couple of times (against Kent) the old stuff came out – ‘he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right’ – but it was a different circumstance being one of our warm-up games.

"I think it will be a bit more full-on again once we get into the real stuff (starting tomorrow).

"That’s something I know I’m going to get, every time I’ve come over here it’s something I’ve been able to manage and to deal with and it doesn’t matter what the crowd says.

"It happened in Australia when they were there as well, it didn’t take me off my game there so I don’t think it’s going to take me off my game here."

He opts not to revisit that tour for good reason, preferring instead to take his inspiration for the coming series from the most recent Ashes campaign in which an image of him scattering the stumps and frightening the life out of England’s batsmen became a chillingly familiar theme.

And despite being a cricketer who doesn’t sit down to watch vision of his match-winning performances, he admits he has stumbled across a "sizzle reel" of his 2013-14 exploits and found it quietly compelling viewing.

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A closer look at Johnson's ink // Getty

"I think there was something sent around through the (playing) group so it’s hard not to watch it," Johnson admitted.

"To be able to watch it from a different point of view was exciting and I realised I bowled a lot of short balls as well."

That’s unlikely to change, although what has altered in the recent past is that – with fellow left-armer Mitchell Starc and new boy Josh Hazlewood opening the bowling in Jamaica last month – Johnson no longer has the luxury of being offered the new ball.

Clarke admitted yesterday that he’s unsure who will gain that honour when Australia begin bowling in Cardiff, indicating that local conditions and wind direction will influence that decision as much as pecking order.

But for an express fast bowler with the temperament and competitiveness that defines the very best, he claimed a certain level of comfort with that decision even though he would leap at the chance should Clarke once again grant him that honour.

"I always put my hand up (to open the bowling), I love to have the new ball in my hand but if I don’t get it that’s no big deal to me," Johnson said.

"I do like to get going in a game, get right into it early on

"But I always make sure I’m prepared as best I can be, so I’m happy taking on the first change role or second change or whatever it has to be.

"It’s more the make-up of the team.

"I’m a lot more open to that than I used to be a few years ago.

"I know being a youngster you want to get that new ball in your hand and I used to get a bit frustrated when I didn’t, but I’ve been able to learn from those experiences and learn to be patient."

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