OTD | Mitchell Johnson, one of the greatest fast bowlers from Australia was born today

Australia’s former left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. He represented Australia from 2005 to 2015, bowling some fiery spells for the Kangaroos. He has represented Australia in multiple ICC tournaments and won many of them as well. The pacer from Queensland made a valuable contribution to the recent evolution of Australian cricket. 

The Beginning

Mitchell Johnson was identified by Denis Lillee and he played a massive part in Johnson’s formative years. The young pacer got his first call-up for the Australian side in 2005. He was picked for an away tour to New Zealand. He made his ODI debut in the third match of that series but his debut didn’t go as planned as he could not take any wickets on his debut. But perseverance helped Johnson to cement his place in the Australian debut.

Mitchell Johnson made his place in the 2007 T20 World Cup squad and showed his potential on the biggest stage. His performances in the shorter formats and domestic cricket helped him to get a look in for the test side. He got an opportunity to wear the baggy green for the first time in 2007 in the home series against Sri Lanka. Johnson made his debut in the Australian fortress of Brisbane. He picked up 4 wickets in his first test match. 

Also read: OTD| Chetan Sharma took the first-ever World Cup hat-trick in Nagpur in 1987

The Overview

Mitchell Johnson’s career has been illustrious in all the formats of the game. He represented Australia in 73 test matches picking up 313 wickets at an average of 28.40. In One-Day internationals, he wore the Australian jersey 153 times. Johnson has 239 wickets in ODIs at an impressive average of 25.26. In the shortest format, he has 38 scalps to his name. 

In 2009 he was adjudged the cricketer of the year by the Apex Cricket Council and was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for his outstanding performance in that calendar year. With his performances over the years, he carved a special place for him in the golden history of Australian cricket.