10 things you probably didn't know about Mitchell Johnson
Throughout a career full of highs and lows, Mitchell Johnson always played his game with a passion which is not easy to match. His efforts with the ball in hand brought a lot of glory to his home country of Australia and he was also a handy bat down the order, using the long handle to good effect.
As he calls it a day from international duties, he has left behind many golden memories for fans to remember and cherish. Looking back at his career, here are 10 things you may or may not know about the fearsome Australian speedster:
He was a junior tennis player
As a kid, Mitchell Johnson’s first sporting love was tennis and he was a huge fan of the legendary Pete Sampras. Not only that, he was also a gifted and highly sought after junior tennis player. When he was 14, he had been given the chance to relocate to Brisbane in order to work towards a successful career in tennis; however, the offer was rejected. It turned out to be the right decision as 3 years later, Australian bowling great Dennis Lillee spotted his talent and arranged for him to join the Australian Cricket Academy.
He hit a six off his first ball in First-class cricket
Mitchell Johnson made his first-class debut in 2001 for his native state of Queensland. In his debut match, which was played against the touring Kiwis, he smashed a six off the very first ball that he faced. This was an early proof of the fact that despite being a fast bowler, Mitchell Johnson was certainly no mug with the bat in hand and could hit the big ones.
He drove plumbing vans after Queensland axed him
Very early on in his career, Johnson went through a torrid experience mainly due to recurrent back injuries and went on to lose his contract with his state side of Queensland. As a result of this, the Aussie was forced to drive a plumbing van for a living as he tried to claw his way back into the state side. He eventually succeeded to make his way back to the Queensland side and went on to make his Test debut in 2007.