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

[stereotype]

He has an amazing bouncer, we saw that in South Africa when he got Kallis on the chin, and he seems to get bounce on wickets that don't offer any like in the subcontinent.

 

[drainpipe32]

Shades of Akram in record-breaking Johnson

Mitchell Johnson is used to being quick, though usually it's the speed of his bowling that attracts the most attention. On the fourth day at Seddon Park he did break the 150kph mark on a regular basis to drive Australia closer to victory, but of equal interest was how fast he reached a milestone. When Johnson rattled the stumps of Tim McIntosh, it was his 150th wicket in 34 Tests, fewer games than any other left-armer in history took to reach that landmark.

Only eight left-arm pace bowlers have got there, and that includes Garry Sobers and Bill Johnston, who switched between seam and spin. At the head of the field is Wasim Akram, and after Johnson was told of his achievement he said he was thrilled to be in the same company as Akram, who took 41 Tests to get 150 wickets.

"I used to watch him when I was younger and I guess you grow up and want to be able to do the things that guys like him did when they played," Johnson said. "I used to watch the lefties when they were around, like Bruce Reid, and one day you hope you have the chance to do that. All us lefties do stick together I suppose."

Shades of Akram in record-breaking Johnson

 

[Robelinda]

Cant argue with how fast he's got to 150, way quicker than Akram. Just because he doesnt have the bag of tricks of Wasim doesnt mean he isnt an excellent bowler.

 

[shravi]

I remember when India last toured Australia and when Australia toured West Indies, everyone was saying what a crap bowler Johnson was. They kept saying that the only reason he was being persisted with was because Ponting was sleeping with him. He's come a long way since then, from being one of the weak links in an attack of Lee, Clark, himself and Hogg/Casson/McGill to the spearhead (although you could also argue that Bollinger is the spearhead).

 

[Cricketman]

Lee and Clark (especially on Australian tracks) were absolutely fearsome back then though. Lee even bagged the Border medal when we were touring, he was in TOP form. In comparison to those two, Johnson looked meek.

I agree he has improved but I still don't think he is anywhere near Wasim. He was a magician...

 

[drainpipe32]

Bollinger definitely not the spearhead.

 

[sami ullah khan]

Lee and Clark (especially on Australian tracks) were absolutely fearsome back then though. Lee even bagged the Border medal when we were touring, he was in TOP form. In comparison to those two, Johnson looked meek.

I agree he has improved but I still don't think he is anywhere near Wasim. He was a magician...

Wasim could consistently swing the ball a lot more than Mitch and had more variations. I think he will get very close to emulating Akrma's legacy but he does not have age on his side. Akram Played when he was 19 and had Imran Khan to guide him.

 

[TumTum]

Wasim could consistently swing the ball a lot more than Mitch and had more variations.

But Mitch has a better strike rate

 

[sami ullah khan]

But Mitch has a better strike rate

Yes he does but can he maintain it for fifteen years like Akram?
By the way Mitch is my favorite bowler along with Dale steyn.

 

[TumTum]

Yes he does but he can maintain it for fifteen years like Akram?

Probably not

But it is amazing to know he is the fastest to reach 150 Test wickets. And his bowling average is 28 so nothing that great. A lot of great left armers must have had a slow start.

 

[Robelinda]

How many guys here saw Wasim's first 150 wickets? He wasnt the master craftsman right from the start, it took him years and years to get the ball to swing both ways consistently. He had good figures most of the time but was averaging 28 like Johnson for a few years too around the 100 wicket mark.

 

[drainpipe32]

And the dirt is gone....

 

[sami ullah khan]

How many guys here saw Wasim's first 150 wickets? He wasnt the master craftsman right from the start, it took him years and years to get the ball to swing both ways consistently. He had good figures most of the time but was averaging 28 like Johnson for a few years too around the 100 wicket mark.

Yes thats true but Wasim Akram started out a lot younger than Johnson did. I also do not see any senior bowler who cal teach him the finer arts of bowling. He is 29 or something and in six years time he won't be able to emulate Akram fully. I will love it if he does.

 

[ZoraxDoom]

How many guys here saw Wasim's first 150 wickets? He wasnt the master craftsman right from the start, it took him years and years to get the ball to swing both ways consistently. He had good figures most of the time but was averaging 28 like Johnson for a few years too around the 100 wicket mark.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

Thought I'd mess around with stats guru.

Wasim's bowling average at 94 wickets, before he took 11/160 against Australia, was 28.18 with an economy of 2.56, strike rate of 65.9

After reaching 150 wickets against England, and finishing with 154 after that watch, his career average was 24.37 with an economy of 2.54 and a strike rate of 57.5.

Mitchell Johnson's career strike rate, as of now, is 52.1, with an economy of 3.22, which explains how he got there faster despite a much higher bowling average.

The lowest Wasim's strike rate has been (barring the 46.8 it was in his second test) was 51.9 after he had reached 334 wickets. Infact that, and his second test match, were the only times his career strike rate was below 52.1. Otherwise, at all other points of his career, his strike rate was above Mitch's (albeit very marginally).

Mitch's strike rate has only been below 52.1 once as well, after his 30th test match against Pakistan.

So yea...it seems that Mitch is the marginally better strike bowler, currently as good as Wasim was in his peak, and that Wasim's ability to take wickets was much lower that Mitch's in his first 150 tests.

However, Wasim had a far better economy rate. This could be due to two factors. One could be that he was a lot better at building pressure than Mitch, which means that while Mitch might take wickets faster than Wasim could, he'll bleed more runs. The other could be due to the evolution of test cricket in the last decade, with more aggressive cricket and sides scoring around 3 RPO more frequently than they used to. This would dent Mitch's career economy rate, but help his strike rate as more aggressive batting leads to more wickets.

On the other hand, pitches are flatter and life is better for batsmen, so the argument that Mitch is a better strike bowler than Wasim at this stage (150 wickets), and infact, over his career, gains more strength.

Although factor in that Wasim was only 24 at the 150 wicket stage, still learning his game, and that Mitch is 28 and at the top of his game, so to speak, and this gets more confusing.

So we can't really conclude whether or not Mitch is as good or better than Wasim at this stage. Statistically anyways. I didn't see Wasim bowling for the early part of his career, just towards the end and some old match clips.


Personally, I would rate Mitch at his best as highly as Wasim.

 

[TumTum]

Personally, I would rate Mitch at his best as highly as Wasim.

Agreed. At his best, he is also very economical.

That's what people were saying after the series against SA, that Johnson has the x-factor.