Johnson thrives on aggression

A more sprightly Mitchell Johnson was on show at Edgbaston, where he took an improved 2-92 in England's innings

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has credited his improved display in the drawn third npower Ashes Test to a more aggressive approach.

Johnson arrived in England with a big reputation following his exploits in South Africa over the winter but has struggled to the extent that his figures of 2-92 at Edgbaston were regarded as a major step forward on what went before.

The biggest change from Johnson, however, was his body language which was bristling with intent and he believes the new ‘in your face’ attitude aided his bowling.

He said: “The whole team wanted to really stand up to these guys and show a bit more intent out there.

"In the first two Tests I was just bowling a ball and walking back, not really getting in their faces.

"Even if I said nothing, at least get in there and give a bit of a stare. Let them know that we're there."

Johnson admitted his poor form had contributed to Australia currently finding themselves 1-0 down with two Tests to play.

"It's something we talked about in this Test. They've got a lot of guys who are performing well at the moment so if we can get them on edge we might start getting a nick here and there," he said. "That's exactly what you want."

The left-armer has the relatively modest figures of 10 wickets at an average of 42.3 in this series but believes he has not been bowling as badly as the critics have suggested.

"I don't think I've done too badly, I've probably gone for a few too many runs but I've taken a few wickets as well," he added.

"I'm not too far away and after yesterday I felt really good."

Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he believed Johnson's troubles were more mental than technical.

"(It was) good to see him get another couple of wickets and look the bowler we know he can be," he said.

"Hopefully he backs it up for another good game in Leeds."

England captain Andrew Strauss, whose team mercilessly attacked him at Lord's, was aware of Johnson's aggression but believed it came only after his form had improved rather than before.

"As his rhythm came back a little bit more he was a bit more aggressive," he said. "Certainly when the ball was swinging he looked useful.

"We've seen quite a lot of Mitchell right now so we know what our plans have got to be against him and it's just a case of delivering on those plans."