SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's long search for a matchwinning all-rounder to counter the feats of England's Andrew Flintoff may finally be over.
Mitchell Johnson has not only established himself as the new leader of Australia's bowling attack but has also emerged as a devastating lower-order batsman.
His batting average of 34.70 and bowling average of 28.01 are both better than Flintoff's and the lanky Australian has reached the best form of his career heading into the Ashes.
Johnson took career-best figures of eight for 61 against South Africa in Perth in December then followed it up with his maiden test century against the same opponents in Cape Town in March.
Johnson's impressive statistics are only part of the reason why he is suddenly looming as Australia's trump card for the Ashes.
A naturally shy man, the 27-year-old Johnson has taken it upon himself to assume the role of the team's aggressor.
The ability to intimidate opposing batsmen is a vital weapon in the arsenal of any fast bowler and Johnson showed why he is one of the most fearsome pacemen in the world during one destructive day in Durban.
The left-hander captured three wickets, including two in his first over, with his blistering pace but also put two South African batsmen in hospital.
He broke a bone in the hand of Graeme Smith for the second time in two months with a delivery that leapt off the pitch and caught the South African skipper unaware.
STRAUSS TARGETTED
Then he split the chin of Jacques Kallis with a vicious bouncer that left South Africa's most experienced batsman dazed, bloodied and needing three stitches.
Johnson finished off by bowling Mark Boucher with an inswinging yorker that he has been working on in preparation for England.
The inability of Australia's pacemen to swing the ball played a part in their downfall in the 2005 Ashes series but Johnson's success has given them confidence that they will match the England seamers in that department this time.
As a left-armer himself he has unsurprisingly had a lot of success against left-handed batsmen and already has his sights set on England captain Andrew Strauss.
"Over in South Africa I started to swing the ball and (Strauss) being a left-handed batsman, it will go away from him," Johnson told the Australian Associated Press during a recent brief visit to his home in Perth.
"I like bowling to lefties so that's something that I'm looking forward to. It's going to be a great challenge and he's been scoring a few runs but hopefully we can put a bit of pressure on him and maybe their side will follow."
Johnson's rise to become Australia's premier fast bowler has been steady rather than meteoric.
He had been earmarked for greatness since he was a teenager but his progress was delayed by injuries and problems getting into an Australian side already packed with great pacemen.
He spent five seasons in Australia's first-class domestic competition before he was called into the national side for his first one-day international appearance against New Zealand in 2005, but took none for 64 from nine overs as the Kiwis overhauled Australia's total of 331-7 to win by two wickets.
EIGHT WICKETS
Johnson made another 17 one-day international appearances for Australia over the next 14 months and was picked for the 2007 World Cup in West Indies but did not play a match as Australia won the title for the third time in a row.
The retirement of Glenn McGrath opened the way for Johnson to push his claim for inclusion in the test side and he finally got his chance in November 2007 when he was selected to play against Sri Lanka in Brisbane aged 26.
He made a bright enough start, snaring eight wickets in the two-test series with Sri Lanka, then 16 and his first test half-century in the four-match series at home to India to cement his place in the side.
Johnson toured West Indies and India in 2008 but it was not until the most recent Australian summer that he really started to make his mark in the international arena.
He took nine for 36, including his first five-wicket haul in an innings against New Zealand, then claimed 33 wickets in six tests, three on home soil and three away, against the South Africans.
Batting at number eight, he had always been a consistent and valuable runscorer but as his confidence with the ball grew so too did his batting and he began turning his potential with the bat into higher scores.
He made 64 in Sydney, 96 not out in Johannesburg when he cruelly ran out of partners, then an unconquered 123 in Cape Town to make himself indispensable, though he remains uncomfortable about his sudden role as the spearhead of the attack.
"It has been something that I never thought I could handle but I've done okay out of it and I'm looking forward to the experienced guys of (Brett) Lee and (Stuart) Clark coming back in to show the way," he said.
"It's a pretty big event for me and my first time over in England for a while. I was there when I was 17 playing Australian 19s, but I'll be looking to feed off the experienced guys that have played county cricket over there."
