Cricinfo - Players and Officials

Full name Mitchell Guy Johnson
Born November 2, 1981, Townsville, Queensland
Current age 26 years 197 days
Major teams Australia, Queensland
Nickname Midge, Notch
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium
Height 1.89 m

Batting and fielding averages
	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	50	4s	6s	Ct
Tests	6	5	3	112	50*	56.00	187	59.89	1	14	3	2
ODIs	34	15	6	89	24*	9.88	123	72.35	0	5	2	6
T20Is	7	3	2	14	9	14.00	7	200.00	0	2	0	2
First-class	29	37	13	683	54	28.45			5			4
List A	58	25	11	187	27	13.35	284	65.84	0			9
Twenty20	10	4	2	19	9	9.50	11	172.72	0	3	0	2

Bowling averages
	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	6	12	1501	771	24	4/86	6/159	32.12	3.08	62.5	2	0	0
ODIs	34	34	1620	1296	51	5/26	5/26	25.41	4.80	31.7	2	1	0
T20Is	7	7	162	172	10	3/22	3/22	17.20	6.37	16.2	0	0	0
First-class	29		5516	3031	98	6/51		30.92	3.29	56.2	5	2	1
List A	58		2940	2358	81	5/26	5/26	29.11	4.81	36.2	4	1	0
Twenty20	10	10	216	226	12	3/22	3/22	18.83	6.27	18.0	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v Sri Lanka at Brisbane, Nov 8-12, 2007 scorecard
Last Test	Australia v India at Adelaide, Jan 24-28, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut	New Zealand v Australia at Christchurch, Dec 10, 2005 scorecard
Last ODI	Australia v India at Brisbane, Mar 4, 2008 scorecard
ODI statistics
T20I debut	Australia v Zimbabwe at Cape Town, Sep 12, 2007 scorecard
Last T20I	Australia v New Zealand at Perth, Dec 11, 2007 scorecard
T20I statistics
First-class debut	2001/02
Last First-class	Australia v India at Adelaide, Jan 24-28, 2008 scorecard
List A debut	2003/04
Last List A	Australia v India at Brisbane, Mar 4, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut	Queensland v Tasmania at Brisbane, Jan 6, 2006 scorecard
Last Twenty20	Australia v New Zealand at Perth, Dec 11, 2007 scorecard

Profile

Mitchell Johnson is Australia's most exciting fast-bowling prospect since Brett Lee first dyed his roots. He's quick, he's tall, he's talented, but most of all, he's a left-armer. Only the digging up of a blond legspinner can create more excitement in an Australian cricket scene that has had just three of this style of diamond - Bill Johnston, Alan Davidson and Bruce Reid - pass 100 Test wickets. Picked in the one-day side on promise - his best first-class figures after 12 first-class games were 5 for 43 - Johnson's future depends on whether he can stay fit and keep taking the big wickets.

Dennis Lillee fell hard and instantly when he spotted him as a 17-year-old at a Pace Australia camp and called him "a once in a generation bowler". Lillee immediately phoned Rod Marsh, who was then the Australian Academy head coach, and Johnson was quickly headed to Adelaide and the national under-19 team. Injuries, mostly to his back, kept interrupting his long-term plans, but he played a full season in 2004-05 and was a fixture with Queensland a year later after being picked for Australia A's tour of Pakistan. Another representative catapult arrived in December 2005 when Trevor Hohns launched him into the Australian one-day squad for the final match of the Chappell-Hadlee Series.

Johnson's domestic highlight came when he followed the Bulls' 6 for 900 declared in the 2005-06 Pura Cup final with 6 for 51 and ten for the match to mop up a demoralised Victoria. "What a performance on a flat wicket," his captain Jimmy Maher said. The display cemented a spot on the Bangladesh tour and when he came back he was given a full Cricket Australia contract only two years after driving a delivery truck and considering walking away from the game because of his fourth back stress injury.

On trips to Malaysia and India Johnson showed his capabilities with a series of big wickets, including Tendulkar, Dravid, Lara and Pietersen, and he spent the season as Australia's Test 12th man before earning regular one-day spells and a World Cup place. More time was spent in the dressing room in the Caribbean, where he didn't play a game, but he defended his right to share in the spoils because of his off-field work ethic. Test rewards finally came at the start of 2007-08 and he was composed in his opening two matches against Sri Lanka. Eight wickets showed proof of his potential and his useful variety.

At 189cm, he has the height to worry batsmen and is intent on scaring them as well. Shane Watson, his Queensland team-mate, has been impressed. "He has just about the most talent I've ever seen in an all-round athlete and I've only seen him playing cricket. If he can keep improving the sky's the limit."
Peter English December 2007