2013 Ashes Defeat Still Fresh for England: Johnson

Whenever the Ashes are being contested, the game is played on 2 fronts. Namely, the battle on the field and the war of words off the field. It does not matter if it is the buildup or during the series, the war never ends. Former Aussie speedster Mitchell Johnson fired in his 2 bits on the rivalry. He alluded to the 2013 Ashes defeat suffered by England. In fact, it was less of a defeat and more of a massacre as they got whitewashed.

Johnson mentioned that he was unsure if Stuart Broad was up to the task and that Alastair Cook is “thinking about retirement”. The Australian team have regained the Ashes with a 3-0 lead in the best-of-five series.Johnson said, “England will have to think about changes. They should pick Mark Wood even if he’s slightly underdone. From a pace point of view, someone bowling over 90mph can definitely change the game.”

27-year old Mark Wood was part of the triumphant England squad in the 2015 Ashes series. Sadly, he has not played for England since July 2017 after suffering a heel injury. Since then, the England squad had been growing smaller. Graeme Swann retired during England’s 5-0 defeat in 2013-14, Kevin Pietersen was booted out unceremoniously, and Jonathan Trott and Matt Prior hardly played again.

In the buildup to the 2017 series, off-spinner Nathan Lyon hoped that Australia ended the careers of some England players. The 36-year old Johnson admitted that there are “question marks” surrounding England’s senior players following Australia’s convincing victory. He said, “I’m not sure if Stuart Broad is up to it at the moment. Alastair Cook is someone who I think has been thinking about retirement. I just wonder now with the scoreline being 3-0 whether that will take a bit of pressure off him and he’ll just go out there and score runs. I’m not sure. I think the scars are there from the last series.”

Johnson, who retired from international cricket in 2015, now plays for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash. He admitted that the one-sided Ashes series was disappointing for the fans. But on the other end of the spectrum, he said that he would “love” to see England whitewashed. Johnson said, “As an ex-player, I’d love to see a 5-0. I don’t like seeing close games when it’s against England, I just want to see them get thumped.” Will England suffer a repeat of the 2013 Ashes defeat?