'Australia need to improve but aren't far away'
Thursday 16 July 2015 07:43, UK
Fresh from tasting Ashes defeat in Cardiff, Mitchell Johnson took time out from preparing for the second Test to assess his own performances, describe what it’s like when the Barmy Army sings songs about him, and explain how the Aussie batsmen decide when to use the DRS.
RECOVERING FROM CARDIFF
It was disappointing to lose the first Test. We didn’t play our best cricket and we were outplayed by a long way.
As a bowling unit we definitely didn’t bowl the way that we had been over the last 12 months. We’ve got a fair bit to improve on but we feel like we’re not far away.
However on a personal level I’m actually not that disappointed with the way I performed. There were a couple of moments when I didn’t feel quite right but in general I felt like the ball was coming out really well and it was swinging a fair bit, which it often doesn’t do for me.
It annoys me sometimes when I feel like I bowl well but my figures don’t reflect that. At the end of the day the game is all about the runs you score and the wickets you get, but it can be frustrating when you feel like you’re bowling well but you’re not getting the results go your way.
DEALING WITH THE BARMY ARMY
I already knew what it was like to have the crowd on my back as I had plenty of it during the 2009 Ashes series, so this time when it happened I made sure it didn’t affect me.
Dealing with taunts from the crowd was actually something I thought about back in 2012, when we played a one-day series here in the UK. I experienced it then, got over it and learned how to manage it, so coming over here now I knew what to expect.
Dealing with taunts from the crowd was actually something I thought about back in 2012, when we played a one-day series here in the UK. I experienced it then, got over it and learned how to manage it, so coming over here now I knew what to expect.
I know every time I come on to bowl I’m going to get the songs that they have and the crowd getting into me. They’re pretty full on but I was able to block it out.
Sometimes I was able to have a bit of fun with it and give a bit back, which was good, but I was then able to focus on what I need to do. In the end they have nothing to do with my performances out in the middle.
DEBUNKING A THEORY ABOUT MY BATTING
A lot of people think I take wickets after I make a good score with the bat, but I don’t really believe that theory.
For me it’s about getting in the contest, and sometimes that might happen when I’ve got the bat in hand and guys are going at me. When the other side’s really trying to bowl a few short ones at me, I really enjoy the challenge.
It’s the same with my bowling - I try to get into the contest early, whether that means having a bit more of a stare or showing really good body language at the start of my spell. Maybe in the past my batting was something that got me going, but now it’s more about getting into the challenge at the start of my spell.
Having said that, batting in the second innings in Cardiff really fired me up. I don’t really know why - I think it was the situation that we were in as a team. In the back of my mind, I was still thinking about a win even in that situation.
DEALING WITH THE DRS
When you’re out there with the bat and one of you gets given out lbw, you have a bit of a discussion.
I was out in the middle for Shane Watson’s lbw the other day, and I thought maybe it was going down the leg side and there might also have been two noises.
In the end he was our last batter as well, so I said, “I think you should take the referral”.
RETURNING TO LORD’S
Despite my experiences back in 2009, I haven’t pencilled in the Lord’s Test or any particular match in this series. I just want to make the most of every game I’m playing in. Hopefully I can go out and get a few more wickets in this Test match.
If we bowl like we have been over the past 12 months then as a bowling unit I think we’ll do well at Lord’s. I think it will probably suit us as a bowling unit.
It’ll be different for a few guys that haven’t played there, especially with the slope. You don’t realise how big the slope is until you actually get on the ground and experience it first-hand.
FAREWELL TO A GOOD MATE
It was a big decision for Ryan Harris to retire from cricket.
The pain that he went through, day in day out, showed how much he wanted to play for his country.
It was pretty sad through the tour match against Kent, which Ryno played in. He was in pain and trying to hide it, and then he got the scan results that his knee was pretty much done.
It was a sad day for us all. We’re definitely going to miss someone like that, who could just run in and bowl on one leg, and to do it with the class that he did.
He’s sticking around for a couple of Test matches to be a bit of a mentor for the bowlers, and he’s done it really well. Not just with the young guys but even with me, he’ll just pat me on the back after a session and give me a few words of encouragement.
He wants to be there and we want him around.
This column also appeared on www.foxsports.com.au.
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