Johnson promises chin music for Strauss in Gabba Test

BRISBANE - Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has promised to subject England cricket captain Andrew Strauss to some chin music during the first Test that is to be played at the Gabba here from November 25.

Johnson said he will target skipper Strauss in the Ashes opener, as has been the Australian tradition.

“England really look up to their captain, Andrew Strauss, so that’s someone we need to target. If we can get him to crumble then hopefully their players start thinking negatively, so he’s someone we’ll definitely be going after,” The Telegraph quoted Johnson, as saying after nets in Brisbane on Monday.

“For me that’s all about being aggressive. I looked at a bit of footage today of Strauss under the short ball. He can play it when it’s about chest high but when you get it right on the money he really does struggle. You’ve got to get your bouncer high to him and just be aggressive. I’m sure Ricky [Ponting] wants to get into his mind a little bit so we’ll give out some verbals if we think it’s going to work against him,” he added.

He also said that he had a bit of a history with Kevin Pietersen.

“I’ve got a bit of history with KP. There was a little bit going on in the warm-up at Cardiff and it got a bit heated, but I didn’t say a word to him in the middle or even look him in the eye. He’s a fiery player who likes opponents to challenge him. We didn’t give him much sledging to feed off last series so I don’t think I’ll be giving him too much this time,” Johnson said.

“As a fast bowler you want to be fired up, but you want to take it to the point where you are just on the border. I think I’ve been doing that pretty well recently, playing hard but keeping my emotions in check,” he added.

With confidence high and a fair wind blowing, Johnson will be the fastest bowler in the series, regularly nudging past the 90 mph mark.

His plan, at least to right-handers, is to push them back in their crease with the bouncer to mess up their footwork, before running it across them on a much fuller length to attract the nick.

All of this is best achieved by bowling with pace and aggression, something he says he stills needs to be reminded about from time to time. (ANI)