Johnson carves some turkey
Dileep Premachandran in Kuala Lumpur - these articles & photos taken from Cricinfo
September 16, 2006
Mitchell Johnson knocked the stuffing out of the McGrath-Tendulkar showdown with a special showing of his own
India may have had some reason to feel hard done by the elements against West Indies, but they had cause to thank the rain gods for the shower that saved them acute embarrassment here. This was a contest headlined as Sachin Tendulkar against Glenn McGrath, but in the space of a few minutes after the first rain delay, it was a new face of Australian pace that grabbed the limelight, with Mitchell Johnson carving up India's top order as though it were a stuffed Christmas turkey.
Rahul Dravid popped one up to cover and Irfan Pathan played inside one that pegged back off stump. But having nailed Brian Lara in the previous game, there was no doubt which wicket meant most to him. Sachin Tendulkar didn't move his feet and a delivery slanting away at 87.3mph did the rest. The best, though, was saved for last, as an absolute peach that darted away from Yuvraj Singh's bat at 87.8 mph and caught the edge on its way to Phil Jaques at slip.
If you thought the future of Australian pace after Glenn McGrath resembled the arid outback, think again. Dennis Lillee, who knows a fair bit more about the art of fast bowling than you, me or AN Other, called Johnson a "once in a generation" bowler, and even in helpful conditions, it wasn't too hard to see why. Both West Indies and India will heave a big sigh of relief now that he, along with Mark Cosgrove and Phil Jaques, is going home.
India, though, will once again rue the vagaries of the Duckworth-Lewis method that asked them to score at 5.86 an over on resumption, despite them having restricted a powerful Australian batting line-up to a run-rate of 4.88. After the events of Thursday, when the bowling let them down badly, it was the turn of the batsmen to disappoint today.
The warning signs had been there even before Johnson struck, with McGrath producing a sensational second over. The first ball struck Tendulkar flush on the helmet, not rising as much as he perhaps expected, and the next one squared him up completely, whizzing past the outside edge as it deviated off the seam. The last delivery, a perfectly pitched off-cutter, nearly cut Dravid in half. Across the oceans, any Englishmen watching would have felt more than a frisson of nervousness.
Nervousness had played its part in Australia's innings too, with Michael Clarke looking excessively fidgety on his way to a sedate 64. After Shane Watson had provided a bludgeoning start, the innings lost all momentum in the face of some superb offspin bowling. Virender Sehwag was tidy and accurate, but it was Harbhajan Singh that caught the eye, harrying the batsmen with turn and bounce on his way to stunning figures of 2 for 26.
Munaf Patel too bowled far better than his figures suggested. Consistently nippy and capable of extracting steep bounce from the pitch, Munaf also swung the ball early, and his control in the late overs was a welcome sign given Pathan's travails of late. But for Ponting's wicket, and that too a gift from a man in prime form, Pathan seldom threatened a breakthrough, and the manner in which Watson stepped out and tonked him down to the sightscreens epitomised his problems.
For India, who have yet to play a full match this season, perhaps it's time for a rain dance in reverse. Another deluge and their hopes of making the final will be well and truly washed away. On the positive side, at least they won't have Johnson to contend with.
What a shame! - Johnson to return home
Dileep Premachandran in Kuala Lumpur
September 16, 2006
Mitchell Johnson left his mark on the DLF Cup.
Mitchell Johnson, along with Mark Cosgrove and Phil Jaques, would be returning home. It had been decided weeks earlier that after the first two games - the Aussies arrived in Malaysia with a squad of 18 - these three would be sent back.
Johnson certainly signed off his second and last appearance in the DLF Cup with a flourish, finishing with 4 for 11 from four overs before the match was abandoned as the drizzle resumed.
The National Selection panel had apparently arrived at the decision even before the team left for Malaysia, and the team management was keen to emphasise that it was no reflection at all on the performances of the trio. Ricky Ponting admitted that it was disappointing that Johnson was heading home, but admitted that there was little he could do to reverse a decision that was made much earlier.
With these three gone Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey will be restored to the first XI for the match against West Indies on Monday afternoon.
PONTING & DRAVID VIEWS ON MITCH
Both captains were full of praise for Johnson, who now takes a flight home as the Australians trim an 18-man squad to 15. "I've been impressed with him for quite a while," said Ponting. "I thought he was someone with the right attributes, and we saw today what he is capable of doing. The conditions were in favour of the bowlers, there was a bit of swing and seam, but you still have to put the ball in the right areas.
"He got us a couple of vital breakthroughs in the first game and tonight, he was brilliant. He's got the pace, he's a left-armer and he can swing it. That's why we are all excited about him. The idea is to give him a few games under his belt. As far as I can see, he is improving every game, and an outing like tonight will do him a world of good."
Ponting was also clearly chuffed about the fact that Johnson knocked over Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, four days after having trapped Brian Lara leg before. "Those two are as good as they get," said Ponting, when asked about the dismissals of Lara and Tendulkar. "He went around the park a fair bit early on in the first game but then came back strongly; today, he did everything we asked of him and more. He will take a lot of confidence away from a performance like this."
Dravid was just as complimentary, though he suggested that the conditions had played into Johnson's hands. "He bowled well and put the ball in the right areas. The conditions were in his favour, he got to use the new ball twice and there were two starts for the batters.
"He showed how to exploit the conditions. The new ball is very important on tracks like this. The ball also does a fair bit in the evening, especially if it rains. Because of the rain, the wicket is under the covers a lot and a lot of the moisture tends to come out. It will be interesting to see how the track plays if the sun comes out, the moisture dries up and you get the full 50 overs in the evening."
