Johnson pleased with home comforts
Mitchell Johnson's remarkable summer included a surprise as he captured the ICC's Cricketer of the Year award
Mitchell Johnson is glad to be back in Perth after a long and eventful stint away from home which included a disappointing Ashes loss, an ICC Cricketer of the Year award and an ICC Champions Trophy triumph in South Africa.
Despite the narrow loss to England, Johnson has no doubt the scrutiny he suffered will make him a better cricketer in the future.
"I built it up really high. Obviously it's a big deal being in the Ashes, but I probably built it up too much and got too excited about it all early," Johnson said.
"I didn't take in the fact that their home crowd was right behind them all the way and I wasn't used to that feeling, and obviously taking on the role as leader of the attack all got to me a little bit.
“I'm glad I recovered from it. It has definitely helped and is something you need to go through. It was a learning experience for me."
Lifting the Champions Trophy last week may not make up for losing the Ashes, but it extended Australia's dominance of one-day cricket in recent years.
"Sitting at the end of the game we felt pretty good about ourselves. Obviously we did lose the Ashes, but it was very fulfilling for us to win that tournament. Everyone was pretty happy," Johnson said.
"I probably would (trade it for the Ashes). The big event for us was the Ashes, but you have to take each tournament as you go. We can't dwell on the Ashes; we've won the Champions Trophy and are very happy.”
The personal accolade from the ICC is also a proud achievement for a player who showed his class with both bat and ball over the course of the year.
"It was very exciting for me and was something that I didn't expect," Johnson added. "It's always good to get those personal achievements, but in the end it was great to win the Champions Trophy and take that away as well."
The 27-year-old will now enjoy a 12-day break before heading to India with the Australia team for a seven-match one-day series.
“I'm just looking forward to having a bit of a rest and being home with friends and family. We've got about 12 days at home and I'll be chilling out as much as I can and getting some rest,” he said.
“I feel good at the moment because I'm home and have just landed, the adrenaline is kicking in and I'm just excited to be back. Physically I feel fine and it's just more of a mental drain than anything.”
