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- Jan 13, 2010
Article by AngryAngy -
Freddie Mercury in his delivery stride
England’s 2nd wicket partnership was, like Australia’s 6th wicket before it, a grave reflection on their opposition.? It was perhaps a bit more of a reflection of the fielding than the bowling, but it’s on that fielding that one can really put the performance of a certain bowler into perspective. Sure, Johnson has bowled badly at times. He bowled particularly badly in England, but while it was suggested that his mind was distracted back then, he still made a few runs, took wickets and did his best in the field.
Now you can see a guy who is actually distracted (and I’m not talking about the ‘tache). Literally no runs, wickets or catches and not for a lack of chances. Batting conditions too good to make a 30 minute duck and a relatively simple overhead catch at mid off could each have helped convince the viewer that it was one of those unlucky games. He had a great game at the MCG the other week where he made a hundred and took 5. He should be coming into the Test fit and in form, but the confidence is just not there. He didn’t bowl anywhere near as badly as at Lords, but it was just so much more mediocre a performance.
I think Johnson is at a point that James Anderson met with a few years ago. They’d tried to tweak him, but it went nowhere and then they had to rebuild him (they have the technology). He had to revert some elements to regain some of his strengths, but he still needed to improve himself.
Whether or not it was the right way to improve, there was a very valid reason Johnson wanted to swing the new ball. Anyone worthy of a high level of performance in any discipline must desire to reach even higher levels. Recent news says that he is able to swing the ball off a short run in the nets, but has no further plans to attempt to bowl the outswinger in a match. If Johnson has set aside that goal and not picked up anything in its place, then he could very well be lacking drive and unsure of his worth as a Test player. Furthermore, as Mitch pushes towards 30, those 90-mile-plus spells will be fewer and his supporting skills will come to the fore.
Even Glenn McGrath had the odd donut game, but I’m not sure he ever looked like Samson without his hair (further reading: The Parable of Glenn McGrath’s Haircut). There is something to be said of supporting a player while he believes in himself, but when that player isn’t even sure he is supposed to be there, you might be letting not only the team down, but he himself.
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Freddie Mercury in his delivery strideEngland’s 2nd wicket partnership was, like Australia’s 6th wicket before it, a grave reflection on their opposition.? It was perhaps a bit more of a reflection of the fielding than the bowling, but it’s on that fielding that one can really put the performance of a certain bowler into perspective. Sure, Johnson has bowled badly at times. He bowled particularly badly in England, but while it was suggested that his mind was distracted back then, he still made a few runs, took wickets and did his best in the field.
Now you can see a guy who is actually distracted (and I’m not talking about the ‘tache). Literally no runs, wickets or catches and not for a lack of chances. Batting conditions too good to make a 30 minute duck and a relatively simple overhead catch at mid off could each have helped convince the viewer that it was one of those unlucky games. He had a great game at the MCG the other week where he made a hundred and took 5. He should be coming into the Test fit and in form, but the confidence is just not there. He didn’t bowl anywhere near as badly as at Lords, but it was just so much more mediocre a performance.
I think Johnson is at a point that James Anderson met with a few years ago. They’d tried to tweak him, but it went nowhere and then they had to rebuild him (they have the technology). He had to revert some elements to regain some of his strengths, but he still needed to improve himself.
Whether or not it was the right way to improve, there was a very valid reason Johnson wanted to swing the new ball. Anyone worthy of a high level of performance in any discipline must desire to reach even higher levels. Recent news says that he is able to swing the ball off a short run in the nets, but has no further plans to attempt to bowl the outswinger in a match. If Johnson has set aside that goal and not picked up anything in its place, then he could very well be lacking drive and unsure of his worth as a Test player. Furthermore, as Mitch pushes towards 30, those 90-mile-plus spells will be fewer and his supporting skills will come to the fore.
Even Glenn McGrath had the odd donut game, but I’m not sure he ever looked like Samson without his hair (further reading: The Parable of Glenn McGrath’s Haircut). There is something to be said of supporting a player while he believes in himself, but when that player isn’t even sure he is supposed to be there, you might be letting not only the team down, but he himself.
More...
