Mitchell Johnson: A career timeline

In a career spanning a decade, Mitchell Johnson has done just about everything.

Australia’s greatest ever left-arm bowler has a World Cup to his name, an Ashes trophy and countless other accolades that compliment his prowess as a dominant force not only in Australia but across the world.

Touted as a 'once-in-a-generation' bowler by Dennis Lillee, cricket.com.au takes a look back at some of the defining moments in the career of Mitchell Johnson on the day that he pulls away from international cricket.

December 10, 2005: ODI Debut against New Zealand in Christchurch

Back in the days of the super-sub, a fresh-faced mo-less Johnson was part of a 12-man team that played a Daniel Vettori-led New Zealand side. Johnson didn’t bat but replaced Simon Katich in the field and was met with a baptism of fire after coming on second change, claiming 0-64 and bearing the brunt of a rampant Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram.

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September 16, 2006: Takes 4-11 against a star-studded India line-up

In a rain affected match in Kuala Lumpur as part of the now defunct DLF Cup, Johnson, in only his seventh ODI match, was given the new ball alongside Glenn McGrath and wreaked havoc on an unsuspecting Indian side. Using sheer pace and the Malaysian conditions, Johnson claimed Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh to have India reeling at 5-35 after eight overs before the heavens opened up. This was only days after claiming the wicket of Brian Lara with the then-25-year-old creating a stir amongst the world’s ranks.

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September 12, 2007: Makes T20I debut against Zimbabwe

In only the 23^rd T20I match of all-time, Johnson was given a cap alongside Lee, Bracken and Clark and showed that he could match it with some of Australia’s best bowlers. From his four overs, Johnson had Tatenda Taibu caught behind and troubled Brendan Taylor, producing 13 dot balls and finishing with figures of 1-26 in a surprise loss off the last ball.

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October 11, 2007: Takes first 5 wicket haul for Australia

Johnson claimed the first of his 15* five-wicket hauls for Australia against India in Vadodara (where he still holds the record for best figures at that ground) after claiming 5-26 from 10 overs to annihilate the home side. The menacing-left-arm quick had usual suspects Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan alongside MS Dhoni and Murali Kartik caught behind by the ever reliable Adam Gilchrist after trapping Robin Uthappa in front in a dominant display on the sub-continent.

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November 8, 2007: Test debut against Sri Lanka at the 'GABBA

After dominating the limited-over circles for the best part of two years, Johnson was touted as the man to replace Australia’s greatest ever fast bowler Glenn McGrath so it was fitting that it was he who presented Johnson with Baggy Green cap number 398. In the dawn of a new era post-Warne, McGrath and Langer, Johnson claimed 2-49 against the touring Sri Lankans with his first wicket coming from an edge off the bat of Thilan Samaraweera into Adam Gilchrist’s gloves once again. Ponting also asked the Sri Lankans to follow-on with Johnson getting Samaraweera again alongside Jayawardene, claiming 2-47 in the return effort.

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November 20, 2008: Takes first Test five-wicket haul

It was only after 28 Tests and 47 wickets that Mitchell Johnson showed his true potential, demolishing a touring New Zealand side with match figures of 9-69 including his first Test five-wicket-haul. After a sub-par first innings Australia score, Johnson tore through the middle order with figures of 4-30 before claiming 5-39 in a second innings display to ensure a win for Australia.

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December 17, 2008: Johnson rips through South Africa

On a batsman’s paradise at his adopted home of the WACA, Johnson was ruthless in his attack on the Proteas, claiming all-bar-two wickets and executing his bowling plans to a tee, none more memorable than his angled barrage at South African spinner Paul Harris than ended in the batsman defending straight into Jason Krezja at leg gully, capping figures of 8-61. To add to the haul, Johnson claimed 3-98 to cement his first of three ten-wicket-hauls in Test cricket.

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March 22, 2009: Johnson shows his all-round ability

Very rarely do players classed as bowlers score hundreds, not often do batsmen hit five sixes in a Test innings and almost never are centuries scored at better than a run a ball, well not unless you’re Mitchell Johnson. In a series where the top two sides in the world battled it out, it was Johnson who reigned supreme, being named Man-of-the-Series after claiming 14 wickets at 28.5, but it was his final innings heroics that made him an A-grade all-rounder.  Johnson took to Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Paul Harris, occupying the crease for just short of three hours in conjunction with Victorian Andrew McDonald to finish with 123 off 103 balls, a knock that included 11 fours and five majors at a strike rate of 119.4.

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July 31, 2009: First ICC Cricketer of the Year award

Johnson reached the pinnacle of the cricketing sphere when he was named the “Cricketer of the Year” at the annual ICC Cricket Awards in 2009. Johnson beat out Gautum Gambhir and MS Dhoni with 70 wickets from 15 Tests at an average of only 27.6 and was also named in the World Test XI for 2009, climbing as high as second on the ICC Player Bowling Rankings.

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November 25, 2010: “He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right…”

A turning point for Johnson after reaching great heights in 2009, the quick was brought crashing back after a tumultuous home Ashes series. After being dropped after a wicket-less Brisbane Test, he earned a reprieve and took 15 wickets in three Tests but it was his confidence that took the biggest battering, openly admitting the Barmy Army had won in the quest to throw him off his succinct game.

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March 22, 2013: Homework-gate

Since the disastrous Ashes series of 2010, Johnson hadn’t been at his damaging best despite being a mainstay of the Australian Test line-up. With Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle often sharing the spoils of wickets during the three-year period, Johnson became very much a bit-part player as the side lost its number one Test ranking to the South Africans. In a bid to create a stronger team environment, then-coach Mickey Arthur set a team homework exercise, one that Johnson alongside Shane Watson, James Pattinson and Usman Khawaja failed to complete, resulting in their suspension from the team. All four players returned to the Test arena but the resulting 4-0 loss to India weighed heavily on the team and resulted in the sacking of the coach.

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November 21, 2013: THAT Ashes campaign

It’s hard to imagine that if Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson were fit, Johnson would more-than-likely had played his last Test and missed out on the chance to seek revenge on the England side that caused him so much pain only three years prior. 

What we do know is that Johnson took his opportunities with both hands (and a now famous moustache) and ran with it, claiming 37 wickets at 13.97 and in the process claiming the Compton-Miller Medal for Player of the Series.  

And who can forget that stare? 

July 31, 2014: Second ICC Cricketer of the Year award

Despite being down, he was never out and the stark turnaround from the broken quick of 2010 was realised when for the second time he was named “Player of the Year”, matching Ricky Ponting’s feats of 2006 and 2007. Johnson claimed 59 wickets from eight Test matches at an average of 15.23 and topped the man-mountain AB De Villiers to claim his second award.

March 29, 2015: Australia salutes for the fifth time

The only thing that had eluded Johnson and many of his teammates was the ICC Cricket World Cup. Johnson was part of the 2007 World Cup winning squad but failed to feature on the pitch and was subsequently part of the unsuccessful 2011 attempt at four-in-a-row. Johnson was part of a three-pronged pace attack that eventually defeated New Zealand at the MCG in front of 93,013 fans with Johnson taking 3-30 and constricting the opposition with 34 dot balls of his own to help claim the cup.

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July 30, 2015: Passes 300 wickets

Johnson became the fifth Australian to claim 300 Test wickets, reaching the milestone against England on day two of the third Test at Edgbaston. Johnson dismissed Jonny Bairstow with a thunderous short-ball to reach the landmark with his third ball of the morning, and followed it up two balls later in similar fashion to remove Ben Stokes and shoot to 301.

November 17, 2015: Announces his retirement from international cricket

It was a decision that had been crowding Johnson’s thinking since the Ashes defeat. On the morning of day five during the second Test against New Zealand, the paceman confirmed he would end his international cricket career at the close of play in Perth.

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