Young fast bowlers can only dream of emulating the career of shooting star Spencer Johnson, rising from landscape gardener to IPL millionaire.
If he were a baseball player Hollywood moviemakers would be drooling over this theme of their next movie: overnight sensation starts career promisingly, overcomes career-threatening injuries to be in demand by franchises around the world and gets offered the contract of a lifetime.
Though, at the age of twenty-eight, he has not quite been an overnight sensation with injuries hampering his cricket progression. Now, he is reaping the rewards with a $1.78 million IPL payday being just one of them. A lesson to all cricketers, do not give up!
Johnson suffered a foot stress fracture in his early twenties and you can only imagine the self-talk it took to convince himself that cricket was to be his chosen profession.
With his smooth, easy, natural left-arm bowling action Johnson attracted the attention of observers when he made his BBL debut for the Brisbane Heat in 2022, including noted fast bowler Brett Lee who was impressed after witnessing just two deliveries from the South Australian quick.
Johnson’s ability to stifle attacking batsmen is what stood out for me when I saw his debut, that and the thought he would represent Australia in the future. He has remarkably become a death bowler without any real self-inspired intention, his ice-cool nerves making him ideal for the role.
At this point, Spencer Johnson is shaping up as an ideal replacement for Mitchell Starc with a like-for-like left-arm bowling action. Starc has indicated he may give up white-ball cricket soon which presents an excellent opportunity for Johnson.
Spencer Johnson playing for Oval Invincibles Men. (Photo by Alex Davidson – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)
Having a left armer adds variety to the attack and Wisden recorded that of the 120 fast bowlers to have taken a hundred Test wickets, only sixteen have been lefties.
One of those, of course, is Mitch Starc with Travis Head saying in a press conference he hopes Johnson can develop into a match-winner like Starc.
Johnson appears suited to all formats, stating to ESPNcricinfo that he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself as a T20 player but hopes to get more opportunities in the red-ball format too.
A bit about Spencer Johnson… he went through age-group and representative cricket for South Australia, before moving to Queensland and playing for Redlands, the home club of Marnus Labuschagne. A fresh start brought rewards with his breakout season for the Heat and instant attention.
Teams he has played for so far include Australia, Brisbane Heat, South Australia, Adelaide Strikers, Los Angeles Knight Riders, South Australia under-19s, Australia A, Oval Invincibles and Surrey Jaguars in Canada. Notably for the Invincibles he returned figures of twenty balls bowled, nineteen dot balls, one run and three wickets after flying to England and making his appearance a day later.
During the Ashes series, Johnson was placed on standby in case Starc was unavailable for the final two Tests.
(Photo by Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Is all this attention on Johnson coming too soon? In 2024 he joins the Gujarat Titans in the IPL as their second-most expensive player behind Rashid Khan. Similar spotlights were shone on Australian Cameron Green and Black Cap Kyle Jamieson who also landed big contracts, but are now battling form, injury and selection issues.
Johnson has been confronted with injuries and is now coming out the other side and hopefully will have a long, productive career with Australia. Will he be too old for Test cricket? Ryan Harris may be an inspiration for Johnson as he was also a late starter to Test cricket and at the age of twenty-nine began a successful career.
Spencer Johnson has the physical attributes, style and mental attitude to make a considerable mark in Australian cricket and could present an exciting combination with Lance Morris and Cameron Green. But on current form, it is hard to see the current fast bowling cartel relinquishing their spots to heirs apparent.
Let us hope that there are considerable opportunities for players of the calibre of Spencer Johnson.
Good Grief
Roar Rookie
How great is it for Australian cricket to have so many bowling options all fit and healthy. Boland and Richardson are already proven performers in test match cricket, and up comers Green, Morris and Spencer all showing promise. Surely the other argument for a lefty is footmark wear for Lyon to aim at? I don’t know how Green or Boland’s form are, they seem to be perpetually parked up on the sidelines running drinks.
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
Morris would get the nod Peter I think. Just the way the selectors have brought him into the group and the fact that he is hitting 150km is an exciting feature. I think our history and legacy of fast bowling greats influences Australia’s future selection of quicks also.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
And there are better equipped and more skilled bowlers than Morris. That Morris can bowl a bit faster than others should be incidental to peripheral and the argument.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Unfortunately BG the more comments an article gets the higher up it is exposed. Johnson might be another Cummins, injured early then plays late in career.
Lance Boil
Roar Rookie
Thommo was a pretty good landscape gardener. We hired his services at our warehouse in the eighties. He was just a great guy and pleasure to work with.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I wish articles like this weren't hidden away. I found it literally 10 minutes ago. Peter, I like the premise about left arm quicks and in that regard, Johnson clearly looks the goods. He certainly has the type of attributes anyone would like to see in a fast bowler. My concern is a lack of body of work at first class level. He's only played the 4 games and while his numbers are impressive, I'm not sure that's a large enough sample size to suggest he could take on the workload expected of a quick in a Test series - and deliver results. Still, 28 is this millenium's 23, so IMO he has a lot of time to either forge a really good career in all three formats, or make a pile in white ball cricket, then make that movie you talked about!
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Thanks Peter, agree that he should be on the selectors radar. Unfortunately the selectors don’t seem to want to blood too many up & comers. Probably out of fear that they might get shown up with sticking to their old brigade. Whenever I catch a Heat game I’m impressed with Johnson’s composure in the death overs, even when he gets carted sometimes. He is in good company, wasn’t Thommo a landscape gardner?
Tom
Liam Haskett is another left arm quick that i think will start to makes waves in the next few years, looks really good and is still very young.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
Spot on Blink.
Blink
Roar Rookie
Johnson is bowling very well and improving constantly. I think he is the heir apparent to Starc. These left arm quicks that can hit the stumps are rare and so hard to bat against. Certainly the IPL money boys think so. While Jyhe Richardson may be the best going around he is in the injured column so often and needs time back in the front line.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
That is an interesting discussion Gamechanger, if Starc retired tomorrow before the others, would Morris or Richardson be certainties to be picked? I'm not sure, obviously I rate Johnson and believe that maybe he would be called up.
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
He Is an exciting talent Peter, but there are better equipped and more skilled bowlers than Spencer at this point in his career. Richardson and Morris are higher in the pecking order than Spencer at this point. That was my point and should be considered first replacements for Starc when he retires. They happen to be right armers, but that is actually incidental and peripheral to the argument.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
If you have two bowlers of equal ability available for selection, one left arm the other right and you already have say two right armers, then for purposes of variety it is best to select the left armer? As George Bailey says, "Spencer’s on the radar for all formats. He’s a really exciting talent … it is always nice when you’ve got someone bowling left arm for whatever reason. It’s just a little bit different and can add some variety to your attack."
Gamechanger
Roar Rookie
We don’t need a “like for like “ replacement . We need the best bowler whether he is right handed or left handed.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
I'll stick with the Johnson theme Micko.
Micko
Roar Rookie
No idea either, hence why I asked.
Peter Darrow
Roar Guru
No idea Micko, any thoughts?
Micko
Roar Rookie
So who's the left-arm heir apparent to take over from Trent Boult in the NZ side Peter??