Fear The Mo! Mitchell Johnson Gets To The 300 Club! Here Are Five Of His Amazing Moments

Mitchell Johnson is one of the feared enigmas in world cricket. When it goes wrong, it goes totally wrong but when he gets it right, it is deadly. Sometimes, he bowls to the left, he bowls to the right and delivers a poor performance. However, in recent times, Johnson has brought raw fear back due to his intimidating bowling. Maybe, his growing a moustache has brought back the fear factor. His current form has made many Fear The Mo.
During the third Ashes Test in Edgbaston, Johnson became the fifth Australian to reach 300 wickets and he became only the second Australian to score 2000 runs and reach this milestone. Here are five big achievements of Johnson in his nine-year career

1 Terrorising batsmen right from the start

In his U-19 days, Johnson had already started bringing fear to opposing batsmen due to his pace and slightly awkward action. In one match, Johnson was ripping the opposition apart but he overstepped on a regular basis. One of the batsman requested the umpires to overlook the no-balls so that he could be free from Johnson's terror.
His first moment of brilliance came in the DLF cup match in Kuala Lumpur against India. In the space of four overs, he knocked over Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan to finish with 4 for 11 in four overs. In the earlier match against West Indies, he had accounted for Brian Lara. Johnson had arrived on the world stage.

2 Decimating South Africa, mentally and physically

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Johnson had a special liking for South Africa and he displayed his love during the series in 2008 and 2009. In the first Test in Perth, Johnson unleashed a memorable spell of bowling which fetched him 8 for 61, his best career bowling figures. On the South Africa tour, he starred not only with the ball but also with the bat. He picked up eight wickets and smashed 96 in the first Test but his brutality came to the fore in Durban. He broke Graeme Smith's arm and made Jacques Kallis retire after smashing him on the chin with a bouncer. His three wickets with the new ball broke South Africa's resistance and they lost the match and the series. He added more joy in the series by smashing his maiden Test century in the final Test.

3 Johnson whacks England at the WACA

The 2010/11 Ashes campaign in Australia was not going well for Australia and for Johnson. His control was missing and his place in the side was questioned. He turned it around spectacularly during the third Test in Perth. Using the conditions wisely, Johnson found pace and swing as he ripped the England middle order to shreds to finish with 6 for 38. He followed it up with three wickets in the second innings as Australia squared the series in style.

4 Rejuvenation in the IPL

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Johnson's career was at the crossroads during the 2012/13 season. A toe injury had sidelined him from the game and he thought about quitting the sport altogether. However, a stint with the Mumbai Indians in the IPL changed his fortune totally. He regained his pace and generated swing on flat Indian wickets to finish with 24 wickets at an average of 19.12. His performances in the IPL galvanised his career and he had found a new lease of life.

5 England brought to their knees and further destruction

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The summer of 2013/14 will be remembered for how fast bowling regained its fear. It was all thanks to Johnson and his exploits in the Ashes. Having found his pace and rhythm, he decimated the old enemy in a manner which silenced his detractors. Using the bouncer as a weapon to intimidate, Johnson scarred England badly and picked up 37 wickets in five games. In every game, his brutality was sustained and he helped Australia whitewash England 5-0 for the third time.
He repeated the dose against South Africa and he dished out more pain to their batsmen. Ryan McLaren was left concussed and his 22 wickets in three Tests gave Australia a 2-1 series win. In the ongoing 2015 Ashes, he continued to cause more pain and his exploits in Lord's gave Australia a mammoth 405-run victory.

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