Johnson demolishes England as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 makes stunning comeback in Ashes
Cricket fans around the world are in for a real treat once again as the oldest rivalry in the game hots up big time with the Australians making a remarkable comeback on day two of the third Ashes test against England being played at the
WACA in Perth.
Johnson, who was dropped for the second test match after an ordinary performance in the first test, roared back to produce the kind of spell that made him one of the most feared bowlers in the game, some eighteen months ago.
He was elated with his performance which saw him nip out the cream of English batting in Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood through late swinging deliveries that trapped all three right handers lbw.
After the end of day’s play the left armer labeled his performance as one of the best ever spells of his test career.
"I like to run in and try to hit the wicket hard," he said. "When the ball does swing, it definitely puts doubts in the mind of the batsmen.
"I haven't got all my wickets bowling in-swingers to the right-handers. I do get the ball to go across right-handers and get nicks. When I swing it back in, it definitely helps me pick up more wickets."
The change in fortune for him is simply beyond belief as only a week ago he was down and out and looked like he was set for a long period in the wilderness. However, the continued failure of the Aussie quicks in the series especially the
unimpressive performance in the second test defeat at Adelaide was the reason for his inclusion in the side for the Perth test.
Johnson tried his best to keep his form going and get back in the groove for the third test match as he spent the week before the Test with Troy Cooley.
As a result it kept him out of Western Australia's Sheffield Shield game, but the plan turned out to be a perfect one for the seasoned campaigner who was a man possessed at the fastest wicket in the world.
"One thing I was working on in the nets with Troy and Stuart was getting my momentum going forward, instead of just dropping off to square-leg.”I think that's definitely helped me and got my arm higher and wrist behind the ball a bit better.
I also worked on getting my lower-half body strength back to where I needed to be."
On the other hand the English camp was disappointed with their abject surrender in the first innings which has given the Aussies a real chance of salvaging the series with a win which is absolutely crucial to their chances.
The star of the show in their 187 run effort was the right hander form http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Warwickshire-c862 Ian Bell who struck a fighting half-century to bring his team back in contention in the game and saved them from total capitulation.
Bell stated after the day’s play that he was happy with batting at number six despite the fact that it jeopardizes chances of posting a big score.
"There's no point in getting frustrated, six is my position," said Bell. "I've been doing it for a while now and it's only been a couple of occasions where I've run out of partners. It's disappointing because I feel like I'm hitting the ball as well as I
ever have done, but as long as I'm contributing to this team and putting in performances that help us win or save Test matches, then I'm happy."
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