Spencer Johnson is aware of the comparisons are coming.
The left-arm paceman hit the magical 150km/h mark in his second BBL recreation for the Brisbane Heat final week, greater than twenty years after a younger Mitchell Johnson first turned heads on the Gabba along with his personal thunderbolts.
Unrelated to the retired Australian nice, Johnson’s emergence as a 27-year-old has been a very long time coming.
As a 20-year-old he missed greater than two years of cricket with an ankle stress fracture simply as his profession taking off.
After two seasons unused on the Strikers’ record, a transfer to Brisbane within the low season was a “no-brainer”, Johnson pushing his method right into a two-year BBL contract after a standout Twenty20 membership season with Marnus Labuschagne’s Redlands.
“I’ve had a bit of a unique journey; 27 now and first crack at BBL cricket,” Johnson mentioned forward of the Heat’s must-win recreation towards Hobart in Brisbane on Friday.
“I am a bit of a fan of Johnno (Mitchell Johnson) – the 2013 Ashes, watching that was just amazing.
“But actually, I like any lefty and Mitch is a bit of totally different to what I’m. He charged in whereas I’m a bit of bit extra laid again.”
That easy pace caught Brett Lee’s attention in the commentary box and has Italian cricket types interested too, given Johnson’s family links mean he is eligible to represent the country at World Cups and potentially the Olympics.
Joe Burns, also with Italian roots, was another to sit up in his chair.
“Hang on, so that you’re telling me the SACA have had a guys (sic) known as Johnson bowling 150kph and have not been enjoying him?,” the injured Queensland and Melbourne Stars batter tweeted.
The understated Johnson has qualifications in horticulture and turf management after former Redbacks bowler and SACA grounds manager Trent Kelly took him under his wing.
But now he has had a taste of the high life, is he dreaming of more?
“You cannot assume like that,” he said of the prospect of a first-class debut or national call-up.
“I’m simply actually stoked to be out right here; to get a chance is superb and a cool second for me and my household.”
Heat captain Usman Khawaja said Johnson had quickly adapted to the higher level.
“I confronted him within the first recreation (of Brisbane’s first-grade T20 competitors) and I assumed, ‘This man is fairly good’,” Khawaja mentioned.
“He’s bowling 150km/h, troubling all of the batsmen – that is good to look at when he’s in your facet.
“I wasn’t expecting that. The best thing about it is that he’s a really good kid and I am enjoying having him in the team.”
