Mitchell Johnson was used as shock weapon: Craig McDermott

Australian fast bowling coach Craig McDermott feels that Mitchell Johnson's was an impact bowler and played on the psychic of batsmen.

Mitchell Johnson retired from international cricket after playing his last Test for Australia in the recently concluded 2nd Test at Perth against New Zealand finishing his 10-year career. Former Australian paceman and current fast bowling coach Craig McDermott in an exclusive interview gave his views and opinions on how Johnson impacted the game and his mantra of success at the highest level of the game. McDermott felt that Johnson was more of a impact player having lethal impact in short bursts. “He was an impact bowler. We used him in short bursts as a shock weapon. He usually came out firing on all cylinders, got the breakthroughs before being withdrawn from the attack in order to keep him fresh. All his captains -Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith -agreed that this role suited Johnson best and were happy with the impact he usually made,” said McDermott. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson retires as one of Australia’s greatest tearaways

On being asked what made Johnson special McDermott said that credit must go to his super athletic body. “His strong frame allowed him to generate great pace. Batsmen found his unique slinging action hard to pick. He made plenty of useful runs for Australia down the order and was a superb fielder in the deep. He will remain a role model for kids wishing to take up his profession,” McDermott quoted while speaking to Times Of India.

McDermott attributes Johnson’s mental strength and big heart as his most important quality in becoming a great fast bowler. “Apart from pace and swing, Johnson also had two other attributes sorely needed to be a fast bowler -mental strength and a big heart. He used his strong left shoulder to hit the deck hard and make the ball climb towards batsman’s throats. He could also pitch it up and swing the ball at good pace,” said McDermott. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson: Of two seasons and one hemisphere

McDermott feels that Johnson ability to play with the fear factor is what intimidated the batsmen more than anything else. “No batsman in the world likes to face up to a red cherry flung towards him at over 90 miles per hour. Johnson simply played on the fear factor in batsmen’s minds in order to get their wickets. Boy, he really could make the ball climb from short of a good length,” added McDermott.

On being asked about comparisons with Australian legend Jeff Thompson, McDermott mentioned that both were different in bowling action yet had similar impact with the ball in hand. “True, Johnson and Thomson both generated great pace and relied on bounce to get wickets, but in spite of being slingers, their bowling actions were different. Thommo’s action was more side-on, while Johnson’s was more front-on and roundarm,” stated McDermott.  ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson retires: Where does he rank among Australia’s pace pantheon?

McDermott also feels that Johnson did cut down on his movement with the ball to gain more speed at the latter half of his career. “Johnson always had a great wrist position and release which allowed him to swing the ball prodigiously , especially into left-handers. As he cranked up the pace and became an out-and-out fast bowler, he relied more on short-pitched deliveries to get wickets. He was, however, not averse to occasionally pitching the ball up, especially when it was new, in order to reap the benefits of swing,” says McDermott. ALSO READ: Mitchell Johnson retires: Top 10 spells in international cricket

Johnson’s record in English conditions was great as the one back home or even in South Africa, McDermott felt that it because of the pitches and Johnson not being a seam bowler is what road blocked his record in England. “To say Johnson was unsuccessful in England would be wrong. His success rate there wasn’t as high as it was in Australia or South Africa, where the pitches are harder and offer more bounce and carry . In the last couple of Ashes series in England, the pitches on offer lacked both pace and bounce -both critical to fast bowling. They were seamer-friendly at best and Johnson wasn’t a seam bowler,” expressed McDermott.

McDermott also found the  Ashes 2013-14 series spell by Johnson to be his best ever. McDermott says, “I think he was at his devastating best in the 2013-14 Ashes series in Australia when he picked 37 wickets in 5 Tests and the three-Test series in South Africa that followed where he claimed 22 victims.” On conclusion when asked about what will the future of Australia fast bowling look like after Johnson and Ryan Harris retirement, McDermott felt that with Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Josh Hazelwood the future of Australian fast bowling looks promising. ALSO READ: Australia vs New Zealand 2015 day-night Test at Adelaide Oval: James Pattinson ready for comeback

“Starc has already established himself in the Australian team and has also upped his pace, but he is still young and we expect him to develop further.As Australia’s bowling coach, I am happy to have a young group of fast bowlers which apart from Starc also includes the likes of James Pattinson, Josh Hazelwood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile.All I can say is Australian fast bowling is in good hands,” McDermott concluded.