‘I need to get my head straight’ says Johnson
The Kangaroos in Brisbane during the first test of the Ashes were far below their very best. One can hope that before the beginning of the second test at Adelaide the Punters will have sorted several problems that require some serious thinking and deliberation.
Making the list of s***w ups, that the Aussies have successfully managed at Gabba is their fielding amongst other things. Their bowling was characteristic of an impotent 70 year old man, going for the kill. The reigning world champions who currently are placed
at number 5 in the ICC test rankings were simply ordinary to say the least.
I had begun to lose faith in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746’s prowess in the world of cricket, the day Malinga and Matthews managed to snatch victory from the jaws of the winning Aussies with effortless ease. Such heroics were almost always played out with perfection by the
Australians for well over ten years and to see them lose this crazy streak has in all honesty been a somewhat refreshing sight. It had been a while since the Australians had taken a good battering. Their nerves appear quite fidgety at present. With the Australian’s
shrouded in gloom and everything going wrong for them, Mitchell Johnson aka pretty Mitch has decided that he needs to get his head straight after confirmations that he has indeed been dropped for the second test in Adelaide.
He said that he would aim to straighten out the kinks in his mind and his bowling action, however he will work on it without leaving the squad. During a sombre press conference, Johnson admitted that he will fight his way back into the team, “Its not the
end of the world,” he remarked sitting with coach Tim Nielsen. “I’ve come back from stress fractures when I was younger, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Queensland-c834.”
Gabba has probably left its scars on Johnson who went wicketless for 170 runs. Despite being the attack leader of the bowling department for Australia for well over two years, the Punters have been forced to leave him out of the squad. His absence will be
filled in by Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris. At present, the best option available to the Aussies is to utilize all their fast bowlers, since they do not have many options of spin available to them. They can always rely on North to take a few odd wickets during
the middle over’s of the match and even bank on him to score some useful runs when required.
Ricky Ponting who is struggling to find consistency with his side, has come to the aid of his lead bowler stating that he believes that Mitch can most certainly rediscover his magical touch.
"Mitch came into the side as a youngish guy as far as cricket is concerned. He's had his ups and downs on and off the field. I've seen him get the better of a lot of things he has had to face the past few years. His record speaks for itself so I am sure
we will see him back with the baggy green cap on pretty soon," Ponting said.
Truth be told however, Australian pitches have always shown this tendency to be unforgiving to fast bowlers and have been most suitable to spinners. Nonetheless the pitch at Gabba consistently deteriorated and became flatter after the first two days of play.
Though the pitch at Adelaide does not hold many promises as such, the fans can surely hope that it has some spin and bounce in it to aid the bowlers.
Johnson’s team mates and coach have come forward to support him and have displayed tremendous belief in his abilities. His career boasts 166 Test wickets at an average of 30, however he has more often than not failed to make any impact in the campaigns against
England. The troubles began last year from Lords and his slingy action has not been of much help either. Tim Nielsen has said, that the Punters will ensure, that the bowler has his head back on track so he can make a comeback for the third test in Perth later
this month.
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