Mitchell Johnson reveals his toughest opponent was AB de Villiers
There wasn’t much to fear for Mitchell Johnson on the 22-yard pitch, as on most occasions he was the one who held the upper hand by dominating the opposition batsmen with his pace and bounce. But even a fearsome fast bowler like Johnson had an opponent who he was scared of.
Days after retiring from the international game, the 34-year-old has revealed that he found South Africa’s AB de Villiers to be his toughest opponent during the course of his eight-year career, reports Cricbuzz.
When asked which batsman posed the biggest challenge, Johnson said: "AB de Villiers, he's one outstanding player of our generation. He was always so difficult to get out and a huge challenge."
Johnson made England hop and jump in the 2013-14 Ashes series in his own backyard by picking 37 wickets in the five matches and dominating the proceedings almost single-handedly.
Soon after regaining the Ashes, Australia toured South Africa for a 3-Test series. Johnson managed to torment most of the Proteas batsmen but then came De Villiers, who played his natural game to destroy the Australian's rhythm.
The fast bowler accepted that in the Centurion Test, the South African batsman hampered his rhythm by walking out and playing his natural game. He added that it was indeed a great challenge to play against one of the best players of all time.
"I remember the game at Centurion (in 2014) and I'd got a few quick wickets in that game and he came out to bat and looked so calm and composed and just played his natural game. It really is difficult when someone does come out like that and you're on top of your game. But it really is a great challenge and he's been one of the best players I've played against," Johnson concluded.
The left-arm fast bowler announced his retirement mid-way through the Test series against New Zealand. With 313 wickets in 73 Test matches, Johnson signed off as one of the highest wicket-takers for the Australian team in Tests.
Mitchell Johnson’s Career In Numbers
| Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 73 | 140 | 16001 | 8891 | 313 | 8/61 | 12/127 | 28.4 | 3.3 | 51.1 |
| ODIs | 153 | 150 | 7489 | 6038 | 239 | 6/31 | 6/31 | 25.26 | 4.83 | 31.3 |
| T20Is | 30 | 30 | 656 | 797 | 38 | 3/15 | 3/15 | 20.97 | 7.28 | 17.2 |
| FC | 116 | 23561 | 13175 | 462 | 8/61 | 28.51 | 3.35 | 50.9 | ||
| List A | 184 | 9227 | 7387 | 284 | 6/31 | 6/31 | 26.01 | 4.8 | 32.4 | |
| Twenty20 | 79 | 78 | 1738 | 2254 | 92 | 3/15 | 3/15 | 24.5 | 7.78 | 18.8 |