23 Interesting Facts About Mitchell Johnson
There are very few left-arm seamers who have dominated the game and Mitchell Johnson is one of them. He was always invasive in nature and being submissive was never his style. A guy who always wanted to thrive on the field with his raw pace and tight line and length. What is chin music, a batsman has definitely got to know after facing Johnson's bouncer. In his 10 years of international career, Johnson grabbed 590 wickets across all formats. In today's article, we have brought some interesting facts about Mitchell Johnson, which may make you wow.
Interesting Facts About Mitchell Johnson
Michell Guy Johnson was born on 2nd November 1981 in Townsville, Queensland.
Johnson's nicknames are "Notch" and "Midge".
Before starting cricket, Mitchell Johnson was fond of playing Tennis and his idol was American Tennis star, Pete Sampras. He had an opportunity to pursue his career as a tennis player by moving to Brisbane at the age of 14 but he rejected the offer and began focusing on cricket.
At the age of 17, Johnson attended a fast bowling campaign in Brisbane and former Australian seamer Dennis Lillee acknowledged his talent and helped him to get into the Australian academy in Adelaide after talking to his former teammate, Rod Marsh.
Johnson played the U-19 World Cup in 2000 for Australia. His future Australia teammates Nathan Hauritz, ED Cowan, Micheal Clarke, and Shaun Marsh were also in that team.
Mitchell Johnson made his first-class debut for Queensland against New Zealand, he hit a six in the very first ball of his domestic career.
Johnson played his first ODI match against New Zealand in 2005, but his first excellent performance came in the 7th ODI against India, he bagged 4 wickets against India in the DLF Cup in Singapore.
The 6.2 ft seamer is player No 398 to represent Australia in the Test cricket, he returned with 4 wickets in the match. It was ex Australian spearhead, Glenn McGrath who handed him the Australian Baggy green.
Due to being injured frequently, Johnson had to drive plumbing vans for some time as the Australian bowling lineup was consisted of Glenn Mcgrath, Brett Lee, and Shaun Tait. In this period, Johnson played few club matches at Brisbane as a batsman. After McGrath's retirement, he became regular in the side.
Johnson was out of action for one and a half years due to injury but fans got to see the ruthless Johnson after his comeback from injury. He was unplayable in the 2013-14 Ashes series, taking 37 wickets in 5 matches, and bagged the Man of the Match award thrice in the series.
Mitchell Johnson was one of the key players for Australia in the 2015 World Cup success. He got 15 wickets in 8 matches, including 2/50 in the semi-finals against India.
One of the most interesting things about Johnson is, he started his ODI career against New Zealand and also ended it against them.
The Southpaw has won 4 ICC events with Australia- the 2006 Champions Trophy, 2007 World Cup, 2009 Champions Trophy, and 2015 World Cup.
In his test career, he scored 2065 runs in 79 tests, including 1 century and 11 fifties. The century came against South Africa in just 66 balls.
Mitchell Johnson has taken the 3rd most wickets among left-arm pacers in the test (313 wickets).
His 8/61 against South Africa at Waca is the best bowling figure by a left-arm bowler in the test.
Getting the "Sir Garfield Sobers ICC Cricketer of the Year" is a huge honor for any player. He won it twice in 2009 & 2014.
Australian Cricket Board bestowed him the prestigious "Allan Border Medal" in 2014 for his stupendous performance with the ball in that season, 47 wickets in 9 test matches, the most by any fast bowler.
Johnson has played IPL for 7 years for 5 different franchises- (Mumbai Indians 2012, 2013 & 2017), (Kings Xi Punjab 2014-16), and (Kolkata Knight Riders 2018). He took 61 wickets in 54 IPL games.
Mitchell Johnson tied the knot with his girlfriend Jessica Bratich, who is a former model and black belt winner in karate. Their daughter's name is Rubia Ann Johnson.
In 2016, Mitchell Johnson released his autobiography called "Resilient".
The Australian legend's jersey number was 25.
Johnson's estimated net worth is $3.5 million.