Mitchell Johnson quits Big Bash League.
The former Australia seamer Mitchell Johnson on Wednesday announced his retirement from the Big Bash league. The left-arm seamer, who played for Perth Scorchers, will continue to ply his trade for other T20 leagues around the world, but will not participate in Australia’s T20 competition in the 2018-19 season. The bowler will be 37 when the season starts, and with all the team set to play 14 games for the first time in a full home-and-away season, he thinks it will be too much pressure on him at his age.
Speaking to The West Australian, Johnson’s manager Sam Halvorsen said, “The intensity and length of the BBL are just too much for someone who will be 37 at the start of the summer.” He further added that the former Australia international has put forth his name for the inaugural United Arab Emirates Twenty20 league, though.
“Mitch has put his name up for the Emirates tournament in Dubai, but that is half the length of the BBL,” he said. It still remains unclear whether Johnson, who currently plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, will return to play in the Indian Premier League next year.
In his Big Bash League career, Johnson has picked up 20 wickets in his kitty in 19 games at an economy rate of 6.15 with the figures of 3/3 in the 2016-17 semifinal as his best spell. Overall, he has played a total of 112 T20 matches in his career with 123 wickets to his name, at an average of 25.78.
Johnson retired from international cricket in 2015, after a career spanning 73 Tests, 153 ODIs, and 30 T20Is. He took 313 wickets in the longest format, 23 wickets in ODIs and 38 wickets in T20Is.