Mitchell Johnson to carry on his T20 swansong
Jun 20, 2016 at 7:05 PM
Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson is all set to carry on his T20 spree across various leagues throughout the globe. Johnson, who bid adieu to international cricket against New Zealand last year in a test at Perth, represented the Kings XI Punjab in this edition of the IPL. However, Johnson could only feature in 3 games as the pacer was taken for plenty in his first few games, and was later replaced by the South African Kyle Abbott.
Looking up to the upcoming season, Johnson has made up his mind to feature in several T20 leagues. In his conversation with cricket.com.au, the fiery left-arm pacer stated his ambition to feature in the Caribbean Premier League, the Pakistan Super League in UAE and then the Big Bash League back home.
“I’ll look at the Big Bash, I haven’t played in the Big Bash yet so it would be something to tick off,” Johnson said. “A lot of the (Australia guys talk about how big it’s become and it’s a really exciting tournament now, the crowds are definitely turning up for it and really enjoying it. “Then look at the Pakistan League, the IPL again and maybe the Caribbean Premier League.”
The mercurial pacer added that he was open to a more diverse role, such as that of a batting all rounder. “It’s still something I’m thinking about right now and I’m not in a rush to make a decision just yet, but maybe change my role in the team under certain conditions,” said Johnson. “Maybe become a bit more of a batting all-rounder or something like that. “As long as I can still bowl a couple of balls at that 145 mark and still rattle a few guys, I think that’s still a good weapon to have.”
“It’s Twenty20 cricket and you’ve just got to be a bit smarter, it’s not about bowling fast all the time as I’ve found out in IPL,” Johnson said. “You can’t just bowl fast every ball, especially on those wickets you need to be able to adapt quickly and use your changes of pace. “It always depends on conditions. “Whether teams are interested or not, if it doesn’t happen that way, then I’m not too fussed about it. “But if I get that opportunity again, then I’d give 100 per cent and I always want to do the best job for the team,” he concluded.