Mitchell Johnson to announce retirement

[The_Reaper]

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/cricket/a/30112362/mitchell-johnson-retirement-close/

Telegraphed that he was at least flirting with retirement before the match and it's likely that these sort of roads didn't give him much a reason not to retire.

Will retire as Australia's 4th highest ever wicket taker.
One of only two players to win the ICC Player of the Year Award twice (2009 and 2014)
One of only two Australians to take over 300 wickets and score over 2000 runs
Took the most wickets of any Australian left handed bowler
Took more wickets than anyone else born in Queensland
Took 59 wickets at an average of 15.23 in 8 tests in the 2013/14 Season
2nd most wickets at the WACA
4th highest wicket taker for Australian in ODIs
Two time World Cup winner (2007 and 2015)

I can't see him playing in Adelaide let alone against the Windies.

As someone who goes to the WACA test every year, many of my favourite cricket memories involved watching Johnson live. Watching his spell on day 2 against the Saffers in the 2008/09 series from the east bank is one of my most memorable cricketing memories.

I'll miss Johnson but I also think it's a well timed retirement.

Hopefully he sticks around and plays some cricket for WA

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Serious cricketer. Amazing at the WACA. Showed more mental strength than most to become the player that he did. All the best MJ.

 

[Noobz0r]

Expected but at the same time I thought I would see him in the Adelaide test and he would retire at the end of the series.

Absolute gun.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

*international retirement

 

[lewigie]

He probably had potential to be even better when he was younger, if only he had found the consistency he had in 2013 in about 2008 instead. Pace and swing

Has had to deal with A LOT from crowds over the years

 

[Scotland]

When he does finish up playing tests I wonder if he will play ODIs, Big Bash, IPL, Shield etc.

 

[DaRick]

He's had a good career. 300+ wickets at 28 is nothing to sneeze at, he could be a very dangerous batsman when set and he was a great fielder. For example, his 88 against India last year changed the match. He was also a dangerous ODI bowler - not surprising since he cut his teeth in that format.

However, I often feel a sense of wistfulness when looking at his career, of the wasted opportunities. Lillee said that he had the capacity to become a 'once-in-a-generation' bowler and he showed signs of this talent (mostly notably during 2008/09 and 2013/14), but it was never fully realised. I think that is a massive shame.

I blame a combination of poor management and coaching for this. Nielsen, Ponting and Cooley seemed to think that he was an Akram-style swing king and workhorse (although he oddly generated more reverse than conventional swing), whereas Clarke, Lehmann and McDermott realised that he was best utilised as a shock bowler. His bouncer is among the best I have seen and he could bowl very dangerous yorkers.

Even his batting I thought could have produced more than it ultimately did. He was technically correct for a lower order batsman and a pure hitter. Diagnosing his eye condition earlier could have helped.

However, I feel it's time for him to retire. His pace has been ebbing away with age and he seems to feel it's time (he has been bowling like it as well this Test match). No shame in that; it happens.

It will be interesting to see where Starc ends up. He's similar to Johnson in a number of respects - he's quick, erratic, inconsistent and has both a dangerous bouncer and yorker. However, while his bouncer is not as good as Johnson's, his yorker is among the best I've seen and he generates regular conventional swing because of his far more fluid, classical action. In other words, he's a tailender's worst nightmare.

However, in order for him to fulfill his vast potential, I would say he needs to develop better control and a touch more guile (I've never seen him bowl a slower ball and surprisingly he doesn't generate much reverse swing). I'm also unsure how capable is of out-smarting a batsman because he is too erratic.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

I've loved watching him play even if he's driven me insane at times. Loved watching him bat, bowl and field.

Need a highlight roll of his run-outs. He's done some screamers over the years in all forms.

 

[MisterMarcus]

He must have been a difficult bowler to face, because you would never know what you'd get. Even within a single spell, you'd be wondering whether you'd get your head knocked off, or 6 half-trackers outside leg stump.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Was a key component of us winning a World Cup and an Ashes series 5-0. Has done his country proud. All the best to him.

 

[vicpride]

absolutely brilliant timing. And what a career. Thanks Mitch you were a star. I'll always fondly recall his role in South Africa and his Ashes of 2013. Delivered big against two top nations. I think a lot of us thought he was selected too early in 07 but obviously an inspired choice. Very good test Career. Where do we rate him in the history of Australian fast bowlers?

Sent from my GT-I8730 using Tapatalk

 

[western royboy]

No negatives from me - really lucky we got to see the best of him for it could easily have gone the other way

 

[Costanza_]

Bit of a sour note to end on, getting belted all around his favourite ground on a highway. Good on him for knowing that it's time though, will give a valuable spot to Pattinson et al.

I'll remember that last home Ashes for ever. Champion

 

[Hellgood]

I've loved watching him play even if he's driven me insane at times. Loved watching him bat, bowl and field.

Need a highlight roll of his run-outs. He's done some screamers over the years in all forms.

Yeah, what an awesome athlete.

I don't really feel the sense of incompleteness or lamentation that his heights weren't consistent. Just privileged to have witnessed the beast mode that he was operating in over the 2008/09 and 2013/14 summers. The stats are pretty impressive, but nobody's going to remember them - we'll remember the snarling, mustachioed bloke menacingly approaching the bowling crease to some poor bastard fearing for his life at the other end.

I kind of liked him even more for the fact he was fragile. When things weren't working for him things really turned to shit - run-up looked awkward and mechanical, his action deteriorated, sprayed it everywhere, backed it up with some cringeworthy futile sledging then would go down to fine leg and be hammered by the crowd. I'd watch thinking, poor bloke he's hapless. Then fast forward a year and he's steaming in, looking a million bucks, firing in bouncers at the most uncomfortable height, following through after the batsman nervously avoids the incoming missile, giving him a gobfull to which the batsman has no reply other than a subservient 'yes sir', turning around collecting his cap and walking down to fine leg to a rockstar reception. Absolute enigma and it made him all the more entertaining.

 

[Pugsley]

Got the most out of himself. Well done, Mitch.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Fantastic career, unfortunately it is time and Mitch has really done the 'team' thing here. He could have padded up his stats against the West Indies but there wasn't much point. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to see him in Sydney again though personally.

 

[KiwiRoo]

very very good bowler when in form and good fun to watch.
I'm just wondering how much the Phil Hughes incident impacted on him. He just doesn't seem to be as hostile since then.
Maybe its just the timing of him getting older, but I don't think he's bowled anywhere near the same amount of short balls as he did in the last home ashes series.

anyway....well done Mitch but we wont miss you as Kiwis ,as you regularly tore us a new one !

 

[LukeParkerno1]

very very good bowler when in form and good fun to watch.
I'm just wondering how much the Phil Hughes incident impacted on him. He just doesn't seem to be as hostile since then.
Maybe its just the timing of him getting older, but I don't think he's bowled anywhere near the same amount of short balls as he did in the last home ashes series.

anyway....well done Mitch but we wont miss you as Kiwis ,as you regularly tore us a new one !

Unfortunately when you get older the decline is more rapid, and he has gone from averaging lets say 144kmph to barely averaging 140kmph. Now you don't think that is much but it is, the batsmen have a better look at the ball. Johnson's strength was never swinging the ball, it was bowling that annoying length as a left arm sling bowler really.

 

[Stopher]

So who replaces him? I'm not convinced this bowling combination ever worked. The batsmen seemed to give them either **** all runs or a million to work with. Nothing in between, so hard to gauge.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

So who replaces him? I'm not convinced this bowling combination ever worked. The batsmen seemed to give them either **** all runs or a million to work with. Nothing in between, so hard to gauge.

Pattinson or Behrendoff would be my options, but they will go Siddle for the Adelaide test at least. Hazelwood is on thin ice as well. Despite the pitch, he has bowled absolute pies this test.

 

[western royboy]

So who replaces him? I'm not convinced this bowling combination ever worked. The batsmen seemed to give them either **** all runs or a million to work with. Nothing in between, so hard to gauge.

A question for another thread - there is bloke called Pattinson who if he bowls the Vics to victory today should be a chance along with the 12th Man. Just heading in now to check it out live

 

[LukeParkerno1]

A question for another thread - there is bloke called Pattinson who if he bowls the Vics to victory today should be a chance along with the 12th Man. Just heading in now to check it out live

The issue I have with Pattinson...and this is probably more directed at CA...is that he was rested last game! Can he play back to back test matches right now? We can't go back to Siddle every 2nd test.

 

[Gough]

I'll never forget him bowling Broad first ball in Adelaide, after Broad made him wait by dicking around with the sight screen. If it's all over for him, I doffs me lid in his direction.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Mitch gave me one of the best summers of cricket I have seen. The 5-0 Ashes win in 2013 was just amazing viewing. Nothing like a genuine fast bowler getting to work on a team that is terrified of you. He has bowled some amazing spells in his time along with a pretty big handful of garbage. That said his good outweighed the bad easily. A very underrated ODI bowler, exceptional fielder and a very handy lower order batsmen.

 

[strewthcobber]

That 13/14 season was arguably the best performance by a fast bowler in modern times.

37 wickets at 14.

Peaks were incredibly high. Loved watching it.