Mitchell Johnson has ruled out international comeback
What’s the story?
Any hopes Australian fans had of watching Mitchell Johnson play for Australia again has been dashed as the 35-year-old fast bowler confirmed that he will not be playing international cricket again after helping the Perth Scorchers win their third Big Bash League title in the final against Sydney Sixers.
After the Scorchers had thrashed Sixers by nine wickets, Johnson was asked about the possibility of playing for Australia again in the upcoming T20s against Sri Lanka. He said: “You always think about those kind of things (coming out of retirement). But to be honest playing this Big Bash, I came out here, really enjoyed it, had fun and I don’t think I’ll play international cricket again. That’s me done and dusted. I enjoyed it while I played but I’m just enjoying myself playing some of this T20 stuff.“
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In case you didn’t know...
After his breath-taking performances in the Big Bash League for the Perth Scorchers, including his stunning spells in both the semi-final and the final, many wondered whether Mitchell Johnson might be tempted into making a comeback into the Australian T20 side especially with several main stars away in India, preparing for the Test tour.
The heart of the matter
The 35-year-old finished as the leading wicket-taker for the Perth Scorchers, who romped to their third Big Bash title in six years after beating the Sydney Sixers by nine wickets. He picked up 13 wickets in the tournament and admitted that playing cricket again brought back “old memories.
He admitted that Justin Langer played a big part in Johnson signing up for the Scorchers and admitted that he is enjoying playing T20 cricket. He also added that bowling just four overs and hardly batting has been fun but has ruled out playing international cricket.
What’s next?
With just a week to go before the IPL Auction 2017, Mitchell Johnson has certainly brought his best form at the right time. His spell of 4-2-3-3 in the semi-final against Melbourne would certainly tempt a few franchises into thinking about signing him up. Australia will next take on New Zealand in an ODI series and return home for a series against Sri Lanka.
Sportskeeda’s take
While Johnson breathing fire and putting fear into the minds of the opposing batsmen has certainly been an incredible sight to witness throughout this edition of the Big Bash, one can certainly understand his decision. With the T20 series against Sri Lanka ideal to provide younger players the opportunity, including his teammate Andrew Tye, who Johnson has backed for success, him not coming out of retirement for just a few T20 games makes sense.