Mitchell Johnson

[draexem]

There's an interesting conversation going on in another forum (which is mostly trash but has a few interesting pieces) which compares the performances of Watson and Johnson when they both play together. Quite surprisingly Watson comfortably outperforms Johnsons.

I've always thought Johnson was overated as a bowler, relying too much on his angle away from the right hander and unfairly jumping ahead of Tait in the queue. It also puzles me why everyone and his dog is critical of Watson's bowling performances, but no one talks about Johnson's mediocre pie-throwing. So, I've collected all the games Watson and Johnson have played together in the last 2 years (all 7 games, excluding Bangladesh for obvious reasons) so we can closely compare the two pie-chuckers.

2006

Vs South Africa: Watson 2 overs 0 for 18
Johnson 3 overs 0 for 28
Vs WINDIES: Watson 8 overs 4 for 43
Johnson 8 overs 2 for 65
VS England : Watson 7 overs 3 for 16
Johnson 10 overs 3 for 40
Vs India: Watson 9 overs 1 for 48
Johnson 8 overs 1 for 33
Vs New Zealand: Watson 7 overs 1 for 27
Johnson 7 overs 1 for 38

2007


Vs New Zealand: Watson 4 overs 0 for 28
Johnson 8 overs 0 for 49
Vs New Zealand: Watson 10 overs 2 for 88
Johnson 10 overs 3 for 81

Overall: Watson 47 overs, 11 for 268, avg of 24.3, ER of 5.7
Johnson 54 overs, 10 for 334, avg of 33.4, ER of 6.2

So we can see that Watson comfortably outperforms Johnson when the two play together, and Watson bats aswell. So why is everyone always on Watson's back and not Johnsons?

Link http://z13.invisionfree.com/The_Colo...howtopic=19858

[Nostromo]

Watson is not bowling particularly well at the moment, but I think he has a better chance of success than Johnson at the World Cup...and he can bat. I don't think Johnson's bowling is cut out for ODIs. I think Oz would do well to keep to Bracken as the main ODI bolwer and nurture Johnson for Tests.

[darksideofthemoon]

Johnson was playing at a difficult time. There was squad rotation going on and I don't think any of the bowlers were happy as they were trying to cement a place in the World Cup squad and some were probably trying to hard to get wickets. I have no doubts about Johnson and would even open the bowling with him and Bracken. I don't think Australia should have left it so late to trial bowlers for the World Cup.

I find it hard to believe that Australia were not originally going to take Cooley to the West Indies. Only after Ponting having his say is it going to happen. Apparently CA didn't supply him with a PayTV at his home either. Surely as a bowling coach he would have got one on his own.

[Nostromo]

I don't like to say that 'I told you so', but Mitchell Johnson was terrible in the match today against England. Oz might win this without raising a sweat, but the fact remains that he conceded 20 runs in the 2 overs that he bowled when every other Oz bowler did well. I am sure that Cameron White would not have done any worse with his bowling and would have done a lot better with the bat. Including Johnson was a very big mistake, as was excluding White.

[darksideofthemoon]

I will have to stick with Johnson. The other fast bowlers went for runs and were given another go but not him so I expect that Johnson might not play in the World Cup. McGrath, Clark, Bracken and Tait look the likely candidates.

[Nostromo]

Tait had started arriving at the party even before the Caribbean trip and so even without Brett Lee, there was no pressure to pick Johnson ahead of White. The latter is a better batsman and fielder and as I said before, his bowling cannot be worse than Johnson's right now. With McGrath, Bracken, Clark, Tait & Watson, Oz have more than a capable pace attack and so IMO Johnson is superfluous.

[EllN]

taking johnson on this long tour like this could gain him valuble experiance and in time will manage to fill lees boots with time to come along with tait, but i think tait will also be a lot less economical in at least 2 games in the tournament because he can be just arratic, but the difference between tait an johnson is PACE, johnson looks like a high 80 mph bowler where tait looks as if he can cosistantly hit 90mph but i dont think cameron white deserved to go too the world cup he3 had his chances in the commenwealth bank series an the tour of new zeland and never really stood up an got counted, where as if you take johnson at least he is only young and can learn to be a match winner, cameron whte is also a direct replacement for symonds if he reinjures him self so they would rather not waste a 15 spot on him unless nessecary

[Nostromo]

Originally Posted by EllN

i dont think cameron white deserved to go too the world cup he3 had his chances in the commenwealth bank series an the tour of new zeland and never really stood up an got counted, where as if you take johnson at least he is only young and can learn to be a match winner, cameron whte is also a direct replacement for symonds if he reinjures him self so they would rather not waste a 15 spot on him unless nessecary

In fact, White is nearly 2 years younger than Johnson.

[draexem]

With Symonds due back into the Australian team, there'll be no room for White. White seems to be a bit of a flat-track slogger at the moment, and I'd rather have Watson and Hayden open and shift Gilly down the order than have White at no.7. He's too one-paced with the bat.

[EllN]

I apologise for that, it seems as if he has beenm playing a long time, an if that is the case he is going to be a great, and i take back about a wasted place he deffenetly should be gaining experiance, especially with the power of the amn an the bowling could be also slowly to be developed