Mitchell Guy Johnson (born 2 November 1981 in Townsville, Queensland) is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast-medium bowler and has enjoyed occasional success with the bat in the early stages of his international career, as well as taking over 70 wickets in his first 17 Tests. When attending a fast-bowling clinic in Brisbane at age 17, former Test fast-bowler Dennis Lillee identified him as a \"once-in-a-lifetime prospect\". Lillee contacted former team mate Rod Marsh and arranged for Johnson to join the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. Johnson subsequently played for the Australian Under-19 side that toured England in 1999 however recurrent back injuries hampered his prospects. He recovered to start his first-class career two years later, when he was selected to play state cricket for his native Queensland. In September 2005, he was in the Australia A cricket team that toured Pakistan. In December 2005, Johnson was selected for the Australian One Day International... more