Johnson to be fit by mid-April
February 05, 2012 17:12:57 UK
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has said that he is targeting this winter's ODI series against England for his return from injury.
Mitchell Johnson could be back by April.The left-arm quickie injured his foot in last year's tour of South Africa and subsequently went under the knife to repair the damage.
The surgery sidelined him for five months and so far his rehabilitation has gone quite smoothly with no setbacks at all.
Australia are 1.14 to win the 2012 Commonwealth Bank Series, while India are 1213.00 and Sri Lanka are 5.50.
Johnson admits that such a long time away from cricket is frustrating for him, but he also claims that it has increased his hunger for the game and he is now determined to once again reach the summit with Australia.
His rehabilitation is expected to finish by mid-April, which means that his first taste of competitive cricket would be with the India Premier League side Mumbai Indians and the 30-year-old paceman intends to use that T20 competition as a springboard for his return to international cricket.
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"I don't want to start looking too far ahead, but I do have those goals of wanting to play one-day cricket at that tournament," said Johnson.
"I'm walking around, doing some gym stuff and a little bit of fitness as well. I think this month I'm doing a bit of power walking, just making sure I'm working on my foot right, so it's all very good.
It's really exciting to have things in place now.
Mitchell Johnson
"I've really enjoyed it [the layoff] ... it's been a positive break for me. I had Christmas at home and I hadn't had Christmas at home for about five years so it has freshened me up mentally and physically.
"In the last couple of weeks I've thought about what I want to do and I've got a plan of where I want to go.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's really exciting to have things in place now ...I want to play for Australia for the next five years."
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