6 Reasons Why Mitchell Johnson Should Be Dropped
Tags ashes, australia, cricket, edgbaston, mitchell johnson
One of the big discussion points surrounding the Third Ashes Test at Edgbaston is the fate of Australian left-armer Mitchell Johnson. It would be an understatement to say that his performances have been well-documented in the sports media; in reality his plight has been plastered on every newspaper and sports program since his poor showings at Cardiff and Lord's. But will the Australian selectors have the guts to drop the man that almost single-handedly won the series against the Proteas in the Republic? Here are 6 reasons that they should.
1. England is not South Africa
The major statement that has been bandied around in Johnson's favour has been his performances in South Africa earlier this year. And look, yes, he did have an absolutely fantastic series there, taking runs and wickets and spearheading the Australian attack in the absence of more experienced bowlers like Stuart Clark and Brett Lee. But England is not South Africa. Not only did Johnson have a lot of help from seaming, bouncy, fast wickets in South Africa, but his earlier performances served to traumatise the South African batsmen for future encounters. Contrast this to England, where not only has he not had anything like the assistance from the wickets there- Cardiff was slow and low, while Lord's was quicker but very flat- but his bowling is not really suited to English conditions. To bowl well in England, pacemen have to be relentlessly accurate, allowing the greenish, low wickets to give them assistance. Johnson's two-length bowling just doesn't cut it in England.
2. Conceding 5 and 6 runs an over is unacceptable at Test level
This is the man who coming into the series, was rated the best Test bowler in the world. And yet he's consistently conceded 5- and 6-runs an over all tour, not just in the Tests. So far on the tour, he's taken 12/604 off 135.5; that's at an average of 50.33 and with an economy rate of 4.44, the worst of any frontline bowler on tour. In the Test series, the only spell in which he was economical was in England's second innings of the first Test, and that was because most deliveries were so wayward the batsmen literally couldn't reach them. Instead of aiming to keep the ball in the 'corridor of uncertainty' 5 balls out of 6, a Johnson over this tour has often yielded bouncers, wide long-hops, and full tosses on leg-stump. It's just unacceptable.
3. His confidence is at rock-bottom and his action is suffering because of this
Coming in and out of form is a part of cricket, a thing which all players come to accept. And it is quite obvious that Mitchell Johnson is out of form. But the biggest problem with him being out of form is that his action regresses at the same time. Watching footage of him in South Africa and comparing it to him in England is like comparing chalk and cheese. In South Africa his bowling arm was higher, his wrist was coming from behind the ball (allowing him to swing it), and his rhythm in his run-up was better, but in England he's slinging the ball a lot more and seems to be struggling for rhythm, and there's been no control or swing. Not only is his action poor at the moment, but his confidence is shot. Every time Ponting throws him the ball, you can almost see the despair on his face, asking "Why are you giving it to me?", and his bowling reflects his feelings.
4. He's had opportunities to redeem himself and wasted them
It's not like he can complain about a lack of bowling. In his tour stats that I quoted before, he has bowled 135.5 overs. This is only 5 deliveries less than the bowler who has bowled the most (Nathan Hauritz), and 42 overs more than the bowler who has bowled the third most on the tour (Peter Siddle). He was also allowed to play the just-finished tour match against Northamptonshire in order to show the selectors he still had it in him for Edgbaston, and proceeded to take 1/107 off 18.1 overs. Waiting in the wings for an opportunity are Stuart Clark, Andrew McDonald and Shane Watson, all who had good returns in the same match, and are knocking on the door of selection.
5. The English have managed to diminish his aura
Whereas in the two back-to-back series against South Africa Johnson was able to incite fear into the Proteas' batsmen through hostile, fast, and dangerous bowling, the English have just sat back and watched the County players tear him to shreds, and then have cashed in in the Tests. Undoubtedly there would have been talk on how to handle the volatile Johnson in the English camp, but by being able to play him so easily, they have not only caused his confidence to plummet, but have increased their own confidence when they face him. Compare this to the performances of Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz, both players who were anything but certainties to play the First Test at Cardiff. Because they were largely undocumented and unknown quantities, they have been able to take the English by surprise with their bowling and take wickets accordingly.
6. If he continues to play, the Australians will lose the series
This final point is the most poignant, and the equation is simple: continue to play Johnson at your own risk. He is a liability in the Australian XI at this point in time, and if he does play the next three Tests, the Australians will lose the series. What they should do with him is allow him to have intensive sessions with the bowling coach, Troy Cooley, in order to sort out his action, and only allow him to play in the one-dayers that will inevitably follow the series. In no way should this be the end of his Test career. It should be the break he needs and deserves to concentrate on his game and how to improve it, and it is absolutely necessary.
1. England is not South Africa
The major statement that has been bandied around in Johnson's favour has been his performances in South Africa earlier this year. And look, yes, he did have an absolutely fantastic series there, taking runs and wickets and spearheading the Australian attack in the absence of more experienced bowlers like Stuart Clark and Brett Lee. But England is not South Africa. Not only did Johnson have a lot of help from seaming, bouncy, fast wickets in South Africa, but his earlier performances served to traumatise the South African batsmen for future encounters. Contrast this to England, where not only has he not had anything like the assistance from the wickets there- Cardiff was slow and low, while Lord's was quicker but very flat- but his bowling is not really suited to English conditions. To bowl well in England, pacemen have to be relentlessly accurate, allowing the greenish, low wickets to give them assistance. Johnson's two-length bowling just doesn't cut it in England.
2. Conceding 5 and 6 runs an over is unacceptable at Test level
This is the man who coming into the series, was rated the best Test bowler in the world. And yet he's consistently conceded 5- and 6-runs an over all tour, not just in the Tests. So far on the tour, he's taken 12/604 off 135.5; that's at an average of 50.33 and with an economy rate of 4.44, the worst of any frontline bowler on tour. In the Test series, the only spell in which he was economical was in England's second innings of the first Test, and that was because most deliveries were so wayward the batsmen literally couldn't reach them. Instead of aiming to keep the ball in the 'corridor of uncertainty' 5 balls out of 6, a Johnson over this tour has often yielded bouncers, wide long-hops, and full tosses on leg-stump. It's just unacceptable.
3. His confidence is at rock-bottom and his action is suffering because of this
Coming in and out of form is a part of cricket, a thing which all players come to accept. And it is quite obvious that Mitchell Johnson is out of form. But the biggest problem with him being out of form is that his action regresses at the same time. Watching footage of him in South Africa and comparing it to him in England is like comparing chalk and cheese. In South Africa his bowling arm was higher, his wrist was coming from behind the ball (allowing him to swing it), and his rhythm in his run-up was better, but in England he's slinging the ball a lot more and seems to be struggling for rhythm, and there's been no control or swing. Not only is his action poor at the moment, but his confidence is shot. Every time Ponting throws him the ball, you can almost see the despair on his face, asking "Why are you giving it to me?", and his bowling reflects his feelings.
4. He's had opportunities to redeem himself and wasted them
It's not like he can complain about a lack of bowling. In his tour stats that I quoted before, he has bowled 135.5 overs. This is only 5 deliveries less than the bowler who has bowled the most (Nathan Hauritz), and 42 overs more than the bowler who has bowled the third most on the tour (Peter Siddle). He was also allowed to play the just-finished tour match against Northamptonshire in order to show the selectors he still had it in him for Edgbaston, and proceeded to take 1/107 off 18.1 overs. Waiting in the wings for an opportunity are Stuart Clark, Andrew McDonald and Shane Watson, all who had good returns in the same match, and are knocking on the door of selection.
5. The English have managed to diminish his aura
Whereas in the two back-to-back series against South Africa Johnson was able to incite fear into the Proteas' batsmen through hostile, fast, and dangerous bowling, the English have just sat back and watched the County players tear him to shreds, and then have cashed in in the Tests. Undoubtedly there would have been talk on how to handle the volatile Johnson in the English camp, but by being able to play him so easily, they have not only caused his confidence to plummet, but have increased their own confidence when they face him. Compare this to the performances of Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Hauritz, both players who were anything but certainties to play the First Test at Cardiff. Because they were largely undocumented and unknown quantities, they have been able to take the English by surprise with their bowling and take wickets accordingly.
6. If he continues to play, the Australians will lose the series
This final point is the most poignant, and the equation is simple: continue to play Johnson at your own risk. He is a liability in the Australian XI at this point in time, and if he does play the next three Tests, the Australians will lose the series. What they should do with him is allow him to have intensive sessions with the bowling coach, Troy Cooley, in order to sort out his action, and only allow him to play in the one-dayers that will inevitably follow the series. In no way should this be the end of his Test career. It should be the break he needs and deserves to concentrate on his game and how to improve it, and it is absolutely necessary.
