'Important for us': Johnson stays loyal to Redbacks

Having opted to remain with South Australia despite a significant offer to relocate to Queensland, fast bowler Spencer Johnson is now setting his sights on the outside hopes of an Ashes call up.

Johnson confirmed on Wednesday he had signed a three-year deal to remain in Adelaide on the back of a breakthrough summer that began with a stint in Brisbane where he won acclaim as a T20 bowler and ended with him breaking into first-class ranks and then a berth on the Australia A tour to New Zealand.

And even though Australia's 17-man squad for the upcoming World Test Championship Final against India and the start of the subsequent Ashes campaign was revealed shortly before his contract announcement today, the 27-year-old remains hopeful of earning belated inclusion.

It would seem an unlikely outcome given the Test squad includes four specialist quicks (Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland) with fellow seamers Michael Neser and Sean Abbott currently playing county cricket in the UK and seemingly next in line.

But then again, the fact that Johnson couldn't make the starting line-up for SA's second XI at the beginning of last summer only to find himself taking the new ball for Australia A less than six months later suggests nothing should be ruled out as fanciful in his remarkable ascent.

In Johnson's favour is the news the national selection panel will revisit and possibly revise the Ashes squad following the second Test at Lord's, and panel chair George Bailey's observation that any such changes would "be really specific on who we need and why".

Having already filled in as Starc's body double during the filming of a series of television commercials a decade ago, it wouldn't seem too much of a stretch for Johnson to come in as understudy should a like-for-like replacement for Starc be required in the UK.

And with Western Australia pair Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson – other Test aspirants who, like Johnson, are capable of regularly clocking speeds above 140kph – sidelined with back and hamstring injuries respectively, the 193cm SA quick's aspirations appear even less illusory.

"There's six Tests over there and things can happen," Johnson said, confirming he had not signed to play cricket in the UK during the southern winter but instead would be in the gym in Adelaide maintaining fitness in case he was needed.

Image Id: EF5B0A77B4B24672A49E0712447289C4 Image Caption: Johnson on Sheffield Shield debut for South Australia in February // Getty

"I'll be here for the winter and if something does come up, I'll be ready to go.

"Things are changing daily at the moment for me, so just doing what's in front of me.

"I've got a bit of time now to get into the gym and get a bit stronger and fitter, and hopefully if I get a tap on the shoulder in the middle of June or July I'll be ready to go."

As SA Cricket Association high performance boss, and former Australia men's team coach Tim Nielsen noted in announcing the contract deal yesterday, left-arm quicks of Johnson's height, pace and wicket-taking capability are a decided rarity.

It's a key reason why Nielsen and the Redbacks were keen to ensure Johnson – who has been part of the state program since he represented them at under-19 level – remained in Adelaide after he was forced to spend much of the preceding four seasons off the park due to injuries.

The towering fast bowler announced his return to senior cricket from that lengthy lay-off upon signing for Brisbane Heat in the KFC BBL last season, where he immediately gained plaudits from judges as keen as former Test quick Brett Lee.

On his return to Adelaide earlier this year, Johnson won a recall to SA's Marsh One-Day Cup team and soon after made his Marsh Sheffield Shield debut and claimed 15 wickets (at 13.07) in his first two outings against Victoria and Queensland.

It's therefore little wonder Queensland made a pitch to lure him north to continue his career with the Bulls as well as return to the Heat, but the former junior Australian rules goalkicker claimed his heart had always remained with his home state.

"At the end of the day, I'm South Australian and I love playing at Adelaide Oval so to be locked in here, I'm absolutely thrilled," he said.

"It was an easy decision in the end to stay here.

"It was never really about the money.

"The way I'm going and the path I'm hopefully on, hopefully playing for Australia, money doesn't really come into it.

"To get a Baggy Green (cap) is a goal of mine, and you can't really put a price on a Baggy Green."

Queensland have already lost home-grown products Brendan Doggett and Nathan McSweeney to SA in recent years, as the Redbacks bolstered their ranks with recruits who also include fast bowlers Wes Agar and Jordan Buckingham (Victoria), allrounder Nathan McAndrew (NSW) and spinner Ben Manenti (Tasmania).

And last month the Redbacks announced they had lured Ryan Harris back to his former home town in Adelaide to be SA bowling coach after 15 years playing with and working for Queensland Cricket.

As Nielsen confirmed yesterday, it follows a change in strategic direction for SA following years of wallowing on the bottom rungs of men's domestic cricket ladders, and the ability to retain local talent as well as attract recruits from interstate is vital to their ambitions.

"It was important for us," Nielsen said of Johnson's retention.

"Over the last two years we've probably changed our focus a little bit and started to look at some players that weren't getting regular opportunities interstate.

"The professional era sees more players willing to move interstate to play state cricket, which is probably a new thing that's happening.

"You don't win cricket games without taking 20 wickets, and unfortunately fast bowlers get hurt every now and then.

"So to have some depth there, and to have tall fast bowlers that make the ball bounce and bowl at 135(kph)-plus and take wickets is a really important part of it.

"We feel as though the growth in the batting area is also getting better and better.

"We've got some young players coming through that have now played 20 or 30 games and are starting to feel like they belong, and own their role inside the team.

"They're the first steps you take normally in the development of a team, and adding Spencer to that and having the fast-bowling depth is a critical part of the whole box and dice."