Mitch Johnson will pip Wasim Akram and become most successful left-arm bowler - Waqar Younis

[Owzat]

Can't say I agree with Waqar here. Mitchell Johnson is 28, he has what, four maybe five years left in test cricket. I just can't see him playing in enough test matches to go past Akram tbh.

Far too many cameras around these days, won't get away with what Akram et al did either

He could always persuade the aussie board to play Bangladesh a lot more and then, like Murali, fill his boots. I doubt, even if he takes more wickets, he'll be as great as Akram. If he'd been that great then I doubt we'd have won the Ashes back, McGrath took 19 @ 23.16 (THREE Tests) and Warne 40 @ 19.93 in the 2005 series, Johnson took just 20 @ 32.55 playing all five Tests in 2009. Even BROAD managed 18 wickets in the 2009 series.

 

[AngryPixel]

Exactly, if you watched the series you would see that Johnson actually bowled a lot better than his stats show.

And the pitches were flat as, most of the bowlers struggled in that series.

Flat????

I distinctively remember a certain Punter getting out bowled to Ishant while defending a good length ball. And if you are right Punter must have a very bad defense to get bowled while defending

Jokes aside, the tracks weren't dead. It was how you use them. Mitch depends upon swing and bounce for his wickets while Indian tracks require reverse swing and seam movement. Thus he struggled in test matches. In ODI his record is good because white ball swings for at least 10 overs in any condition. You Might say that same is the case with dukes/Kookabura test ball. But in test players can play out the overs of swing while in ODI there is urgency to score runs.

Who are the current fast bowlers who have troubled indians on these pitches??
Brett Lee- Reverse Swing.
Peter Siddle- Seam Movement
Andrew Flintoff-Reverse Swing,Seam Movement.

So only bowlers like these would succeed in these conditions.
Thus, unless Mitchell starts to get more reverse and seam movement, he wont be any more successful in these tracks.
Moreover, even if he add those tricks he still might not be successfull in India. Why??? Ask the Legendary Warne. Spinning tracks yet struggled and hammered.

AngryPixel added 2 Minutes and 21 Seconds later...

Far too many cameras around these days, won't get away with what Akram et al did either

He could always persuade the aussie board to play Bangladesh a lot more and then, like Murali, fill his boots. I doubt, even if he takes more wickets, he'll be as great as Akram. If he'd been that great then I doubt we'd have won the Ashes back, McGrath took 19 @ 23.16 (THREE Tests) and Warne 40 @ 19.93 in the 2005 series, Johnson took just 20 @ 32.55 playing all five Tests in 2009. Even BROAD managed 18 wickets in the 2009 series.

Naah he is getting away with them already. Didnt you see his performance last year?:rtfl

To be on a safe side he should try to get his dad a Match Referee Job like Stuart-6sixes-broad. :happy:happy

 

[SciD]

It's not as if he's terrible in India.

In 15 ODI matches he has 28 wickets @ 23.60 with a strike rate of 27.7, quite an exceptional record.

Admittedly his test stats aren't exactly amazing.

I thought this was about test matches.
In ODI's no one can reach Wasim's record any more not even MJ.

 

[Fatal Shot]

Waqar must be pissed or something, and is talking out of his ass. Johnson won't get there. He's in his prime right now, but after 30, things tend to go downhill, and so does the pace. Wasim had swing, so pace didn't matter even if it dropped for him, but Johnson relies on pace, with a hint of swing. Once that pace is in the mid to low 80's, he will struggle unless he masters swing, which he won't with his action. No doubt, he will get to 300, but 400? Very much doubt it.

 

[pcfan123]

The Aussies will drop him once he gets to around the 300 mark and starts to lose his pace. The only thing going for him is his pace, since batsman play silly shots and nick him to the slips due to the speed alone. Once he is slower he will go the way of Brett Lee

 

[drainpipe32]

Jokes aside, the tracks weren't dead.

Did you see the Delhi game?

I thought this was about test matches.
In ODI's no one can reach Wasim's record any more not even MJ.

Just pointing out his record in India

The Aussies will drop him once he gets to around the 300 mark and starts to lose his pace. The only thing going for him is his pace, since batsman play silly shots and nick him to the slips due to the speed alone. Once he is slower he will go the way of Brett Lee

Sorry, please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Brett Lee routed England in an ODI series this year?

 

[SciD]

Just pointing out his record in India

Still why bring up ODI when Test are tests.
Its like saying Bevan is greatest batsman ever by looking at his ODI exploits.

 

[drainpipe32]

What? I was only mentioning that he has quite a good record in India, not that because of his great ODI record it means, he would be great in Test Matches.

 

[smssia0112]

That is a massive call. I'd say it definitely won't happen, but I hope it does all the same. Waqar obviously rates Mitch highly.

 

[Valaskjalf]

Johson is a muscle bowler....he powers his way to wickets doesnt exactly beguile or trick any of the batsmen with intelligent bowling. And i too think his strike rate will actually become worse as he ages, because then he's more unlikely to get the pace behind his deliveries.

I dont only doubt that he will get to Akram's tally with a better strike rate, i doubt him getting to 400 wickets period. He will probably be out of the Aussie side before he's 34...Will end up being a guy who pushes 138kph and occasionally swings it.

And furthermore...Akram took his wickets on flatter wickets. Thats why I think guys like Chaminda Vaas were better than their stats showed...because he managed to get wickets on very difficult pitches for fast bowlers on the sub continent.

 

[TumTum]

Johnson has picked up a lot of wickets with the slower ball ... so it is premature to say he is a 'muscle bowler', although he's got a nice 6 pack :laugh

 

[nightprowler10]

But seeing as he grew up there?

Doesn't make the pitches a whole lot easier to bowl on. His SR is still quite an achievement, though he has nothing on Waqar in that department.

That said if Waqar rates MJ highly, I have to give him a greater look.

 

[tech.007]

wasim akram became the king of swing on pitches where johnson will not be able to even bowl properly..

 

[stereotype]

Two very different styles of bowler even if they are both left arm quicks. Johnson needs two things, the first is proper control of the new ball and then he needs to be able to control things like swing and movement. He gets those two things done and then we can compare imo. Right now I can say he is a wicket taker who uses his pace to claim wickets, probably has the best bouncer in test cricket as well.

One thing though is the Mitchell Johnson we saw in S Africa in 2009 is one that deserves this discussion the one in the Ashes or in our summer probably not so much.

 

[sifter132]

I was impressed by Mitch's bowling last night. It looked like he had a LITTLE bit of inswing happening in the first few overs which is noteworthy. And his pace was also good. The first ball to Shoaib Malik was 154 KPH bouncer past his nose. And it wasn't the only one over 150. His average must have been high 140s, good for his first game back from a couple of weeks off.