Mitch’s sling dynasty reigns supreme

At varying times over the past decade or so, the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson has fluctuated between being his own, and England’s, worst enemy.

Possessing a low slung action that is nowhere to be seen in the coaching manual and was viewed by many as the reason behind his occasional lost radar, Johnson for a long time struggled for consistency.

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Despite taking 20 wickets in five Tests through the 2009 Ashes, his wayward performance at Lord’s – three wickets and 200 runs at five an over – was his lasting legacy against the English.

That was a problem consigned to history following the 2013-14 Ashes Revolution of Mitch, at which point the hyperbole of the press machine put a line through ‘laughing stock’ and went instead with ‘legend’.

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Young English talisman Joe Root was there that summer, and was one of Johnson’s victims at Lord’s last week when he emphatically found redemption at the Home of Cricket.

Root has emerged as arguably his country’s most prized wicket, and the right-hander this week spoke of exactly what makes Johnson such a difficult proposition – ironically, that action.

“He comes at a different angle, he’s got a lower arm than a lot of other guys,” said Root, who has been dismissed by the 33-year-old three times across six Tests.

“It’s something that’s quite hard to emulate in practice so whenever you’ve got an opportunity to face him you have to knuckle down, you try and get as close to it when you are working at your game and give yourself the most confidence possible for when you get back out there.”

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The 24-year-old went further, explaining the strategy England had effectively adopted in the first Test in Cardiff to counter the threat posed by a man who is now one wicket short of 300 in Baggy Green.

“You look at Cardiff and he got two wickets for 180 runs so it’s not that we can’t do it,” he said. “We’ve proven that we can this series and it’s about making sure that … whenever we get out there to bat we look to put him under pressure, look to score and take the game away from him while we can.”

It’s a tactic that is very much in line with England’s new policy of aggression, one that Root and the recalled Jonny Bairstow are naturally inclined to adopt.

Johnson, and Australia’s other quicks, had no answers to Root’s counter-attacking policy in Cardiff but a more disciplined bowling display at Lord’s – chiefly via a fuller, straighter length aimed at drying up scoring opportunities – paid handsome dividends, with the No.5 batsman dismissed for one and 17.

Johnson’s return of 3-27 from 10 overs in the second innings and the fact that he was a constant menace for England’s batsmen on a pitch that West Indian great Michael Holding described as a “featherbed” was proof positive that the Australian spearhead was very much on top of his game.

Speaking with former England captain Nasser Hussain, coach Darren Lehmann offered an insight as to why.

“He’s an unbelievable athlete and a really important player, (and) he copes with the pressure that  (responsibility) brings really well now, certainly better than he has in the past, and that might be because he’s really settled off the field – that’s important to him and us,” Lehmann told Hussain in the Daily Mail, referring to both the mental challenges he once faced with being in the public eye, and his marriage to Jessica Bratich Johnson, with whom he has a young daughter, Rubika.

“He’s also really good with the young players and leads from the front in everything he does.

“He’s a fantastic guy. He came back into the set-up a couple of years ago when he missed the 2013 Ashes but played beautifully in the one-day series that followed.

“He’s got his mojo back and he’s exciting.” 

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