James Anderson says he was “ready for a broken arm” every time he went out to bat against Mitchell Johnson during the 2013/14 Ashes.
He and long-time England new ball partner Stuart Broad were discussing the bowlers the least liked to face on an Instagram Live on the England Cricket Instagram account, and the moustachioed left-armer was one of the first names that came to mind.
In the 2013/14 Ashes, mere months after England had beaten Australia 3-0 in England, Johnson’s 37 wickets at 13.97 helped Michael Clarke’s side to a 5-0 whitewash, overturning a run of three straight urn concessions in dramatic fashion.
“Mitchell Johnson in 2013/14 was… I always look back on that and we had some world-class players didn’t we?,” said Broad. “Cooky [Alastair Cook], KP [Kevin Pietersen], Belly [Ian Bell], Trotty [Jonathan Trott], Matty Prior. World-class players that had dominated world cricket for six or seven years really. No one could really find an answer. It was so awkward wasn’t it? A weird angle, ferociously quick, so accurate.”
For Broad and Anderson, those top-order struggles made their lives more difficult than usual, with the pair often tasked with facing a still-fresh Johnson.
“When we were getting out there to bat, he’d only bowled seven overs hadn’t he?,” Broad continued. “The great thing about batting down the order is when your batsmen score runs – and for a period our batsmen were awesome weren’t they? – you’re facing bowlers after 25 overs and they’re obviously a bit tired. But him… He was ferocious in that series. That was your ‘get ready for a broken arm’ one, wasn’t it?”
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Broad was referring to an infamous sledge made by Clarke to Anderson at the end of the first Test at Brisbane. Late at the end of the fourth day, with Australia one wicket from victory and Anderson on strike, Johnson was brought back into the attack to bowl round the wicket. With Anderson reluctant to take guard, Clarke told the tail-ender to “get ready for a broken f***ing arm”.
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Anderson survived six balls from Johnson before offering a return catch, and conceded he was fearful every time he went out to bat. “I was ready for a broken arm every time I went out to be honest,” he said. “It wasn’t pleasant at all.”
Johnson’s efforts that series earned him a spot at No.5 and No.3 in Wisden’s Test spells of the 2010s.
