How Mitch faced up to his demons

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<b>Tell us about your rivalry with Ian Bell.</b>

We have had a lot of contests over the years. When I was first picked up in Brisbane at 17 and sent to England a couple months later for the Australian under-19s, I hit him in the helmet with a short ball. That was something I have always remembered to this day. The ball came off his helmet and skipped off to the boundary.

That's quite remarkable, a ball bowled 14 years ago when you were kids could form part of an Ashes game plan.

I have always remembered it and tried to replicate it whenever I have played him. I have always enjoyed playing him. There was a period there when I felt I had it over him but he came out last Ashes series in Australia when he was on his game. We have always gone hard at him early with short balls.

Dennis Lillee asked you to do your off-season distance runs with a cricket ball but we heard there were times when you became a bit selfconscious about it?

I remember running in the park in Perth and Chad Morrison, an AFL player, was down there doing drills one night. I went to the darkest part of the park. I could tell he thought it might have been just some weird guy running around with a cricket ball in his hand. Then he realised it was me and we had a chat. It was a bit embarrassing.

Ricky Ponting said in his book he was surprised that such a talented player like you could occasionally have so little confidence. Can you relate to that?

That is a true statement ... I think back to the times when things were not going right for me and I definitely lacked confidence. That was just how I was. I knew that I had ability but I just didn't trust myself. I am not worried by what people think any more. Before I was thinking about that a lot.

Mitchell Johnson celebrates a wicket during the fifth Test at the SCG. Source: News Limited

There is a theory that the short ball you bowled which hit Jonathan Trott in the helmet in the one-dayers in England made him over train for this series and started a chain reaction which eventually saw him go home. Do you believe that?

They did bring out two left-armed fast bowlers at the start of this series so I guess they could have been over-thinking it. It is a hard question to answer but obviously it was in the back of their minds. Whether it was from that ball or not I don't know - but they definitely knew I was going to come hard at them and they definitely prepared for it.

When you needed toe surgery after the South African tour two years ago, you seemed almost relieved to get out of cricket's bubble. How down were you?

I was craving for something. I was almost hoping for an injury just so I could get away. You don't really want to get injured but it was the best thing for me in the end. It gave me an opportunity to work on all the things I wanted to work on. We have a full schedule and I feel you cannot work through these things in the middle of a series. The time I had at home was brilliant. I focused on getting my toe right firstly and getting myself relaxed again. I had that drive again. Being written off was another motivation. It drove me to getting back to where I am.

How did the break help you apart from mentally freshening up?

I worked on a couple of little things like my back foot landing and getting my back foot drive through and pulling that front arm down. There have been times in my career when you get a bit tired and you start pulling away from your body. Just maturing as a cricketer has helped me. Knowing my game better and what works. Not being distracted by outside influences which is what I used to do is a big thing. I know what works for me now and so does Boof (coach Darren Lehmann) and Michael (Clarke, captain).

Such as?

Bowling shorter spells. I don't mind bowling longer spells every now and then but I thinks it's best for me to bowl shorter spells, use the short ball and be aggressive. That's been a big part of the series.

You have a reputation as fearsome enforcer yet a lot of people who know you feel that you are actually very shy. Who is the real person?

I don't mind keeping to myself and keeping chilled out. That is how I have always been. I enjoy my time at home with my mates and family ... (but) on the field it is white line fever. I have always been very competitive.

England's Stuart Broad avoids a short ball from Mitchell Johnson. Source: Supplied

Where did the plan to bomb the English tail come from?

We set a really good tone in the one-day series in England before the Ashes although we did not have that plan of going for their tail. It was something we talked about at Allan Border Field before the first Test, how we were going to go hard at their tail. In the first Test we could see they did not enjoy it. Not many people do if the ball is coming at your head. I bowled a lot of short balls in the series.

Could you detect fear?

Whether it was fear ... or intimidation. I saw it as intimidation and they did not want a part of it. The plan worked there.

Who did you consider your big wicket?

I enjoyed getting (Alastair) Cook out. He is a great player and if you can break the captain at the top of the order you feel like you can break the team. That is something I remember Ricky Ponting always saying. It was always a big target to get after a captain. We bowled well to Cook throughout the series and it was pretty satisfying to get his wicket.

Some people feel you need to be a cool killer. Do you?

Yes. The big thing for me throughout the series was that I kept my emotions in check. There were times when I got close to really losing it. In the past I have bowled a pile of junk after losing my cool. With the Kevin Pietersen thing in Melbourne I told myself not to let the emotion get in the way of my skills. I went back to bowl what I needed to bowl. It was a good little lesson for me.

What did you make of Pietersen?

He was one of their big players. It was quite funny. We always say not to say anything to him because we know he likes that confrontation. It gets him going.

Did you start talking to him?

It's hard not to. There were times when I did. In Brisbane I did not say a word to him. Once I covered my mouth after a shot he played but I did not say anything. He said to me "it is either going to be you or me" ... I just giggled. My plan was not to say anything but as the series wore on we exchanged a few words here or there. That's what I love about the game. You want to beat a guy on skill but some verbals come into it.

Mitchell Johnson stares at Joe Root during the second Test in Adelaide. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: News Limited

We often tell the story of you bowling in your dad's golf spikes. A strong memory?

I wore dad's spikes playing at Wanderers (in Townsville) but the club was really good and they helped me out. We never really had the money to buy all the cricket gear. I played tennis for a lot of years and we got sponsorships for that.

How serious were you as a young tennis player?

One of my early goals was to play at Wimbledon. When I was 17 or 18 that was what I wanted to do. I remember a relative bringing back a shirt from Wimbledon and that was it for me. I had an opportunity to move to Brisbane when I was 14 and play tennis but I was not prepared to move away from home and do it on my own. I don't regret it. I could not have imagined being where I am now. I am proud of what I have done.

Your old Queensland mates reckon that you are a player who needs to be settled off the field to bowl well. Fair?

It does help. There is always going to be ups and downs in your life but I have learned to manage that better now. But it is great. I have started my own family and I have really enjoyed going back and seeing my little girl. It is always going to put a smile on my face. Whatever I do on the field is not the end of the world. It is a maturity thing. I realise it's not the end of the world. That is one thing (wife) Jess said to me as well, "just go out there and have fun. If it doesn't work it doesn't work. At least you know you have had a good career.''

Had you been too intense?

I had definitely thought about it too much and let it stress me.

Will you try to bomb the tail in South Africa?

It is something we will talk about and I am sure we will look into it again. Obviously it did work here but whether it will work there is something we will have to decide ... but I am sure we will have a crack at it.

Mitchell Johnson celebrates the Ashes series triumph with captain Michael Clarke at the Sydney Opera House. Source: AFP

What does the challenge of playing in South Africa mean for you?

I really do enjoy bowling over there. They have a little bit in them at times. Good pace and carry. They can be similar to Australian wickets. We probably will get a bit more swing over there. I am looking forward to that, as all our bowlers are. I am sure some of their guys have seen what has been happening over here and hopefully that is in the back of their minds.

Lillee famously called you a once in a lifetime bowler when he saw you as a kid. How did that affect you?

I don't think I realised what it really meant, at that stage I wasn't really that into cricket. I was playing a bit of A-grade in Townsville but I was not that serious about it. I didn't really know what I was going to do. I was thinking about a computer course and joining the army.

How has you diet been during your resurgence?

I have been eating differently - a lot more protein and less carbs. I have heaps of energy and I have stayed lean.

Just before you won the Ashes in Perth the team briefly seemed to lose their radar. What happened?

We had been through so much, it was quite emotional ... for a couple of balls after I got (Tim) Bresnan out I got emotional and I was not concentrating on what I was doing. We were so close.

What would you say now if you were coaching a young Mitchell Johnson?

I remember growing up and playing with Andy Bichel and Michael Kasprowicz and they have always told me things that I have learnt were true. But some things you probably have to experience yourself before you realise they are true. You need patience with your players and not to play around with guys' techniques too much. This is why I have enjoyed Craig McDermott, because he understands each individual and how they play as a player. I have been able to come out in the past 12 months and play my own game.

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