Mitch recovering from infection

Mitch Johnson says he’ll be right to go once the Indian Premier League season starts next month, having recovered from a ‘nasty’ toe infection.

The pace bowler was picked up by the Kings Punjab XI at the IPL auction in February for $1.15 million.

“I started training yesterday. The infection is gone now .. so I’m confident I’ll be right for the IPL in a new team,” he said. “I enjoy the cricket over there.”

Johnson, speaking to Foxtel’s Back Page program, revealed how he sustained the injury, which ruled him out of the ICC World Twenty20.

“It happens a lot as a fast bowler. Your front foot slides in your boot, and on the top of my big toe’s knuckle it just rubs and it opened up a big cut. That’s how it all started,” said Johnson.

“The last Test (in South Africa), the last day, obviously we bowled a lot in that Test and it just opened up.

“When I came home it got pretty bad and I got an infection through my foot and up my leg. It wasn’t too good, it was quite nasty.”

But it wasn’t all bad news.

“I got out of housework, which was good,” Johnson joked.

The fast bowler, who destroyed England with 42 wickets in Australia’s 5-0 Ashes series win, also said there are moments from that series that will follow him around.

In relation to when he dismissed Jimmy Anderson with a pearler in the second Test in Adelaide and gave the England bowler a mad stare, Johnson says he now gets some weird requests as a result.

“It is just white line fever. I really wanted to say something to him but I don’t think I needed to at that point, so I just gave him the stare,” said Johnson.

“I ran into someone today and they wanted me to do the stare at them in a photo, and do the point. It’s quite strange!”

Quick Single: The balls that change everything