BBL: Johnson's remarkable 3 for 3 takes Scorchers to final

New Delhi: A wicket off the first ball of a T20 match is no big deal. But how about another wicket off the third and four dots on the remaining ones? No it’s not a Bollywood film based on cricket nor it is a video game played in amateur mode. This happened on the semi final of the Big Bash League and the one with ball was none other than Mitchell Johnson.     

Johnson virtually ripped through the Melbourne Stars top order to hand Perth Scorches an easy 7 wicket win and more importantly a place in the final. 

Pace ace @MitchJohnson398 talks us through his amazing opening over in the #BBLSemis! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/i8nNYGvNQc

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2017

He was fast, he was accurate, he was so menacing that it took a minute to actually realise that it was a T20 match and not the morning session of an Ashes Test at WACA. Such was the impact of Johnson’s bowling that it took the Stars 18 deliveries to score a run off him. In the mean time, Johnson had sent Rob Quiney, Luke Wright and Kevin Pietersen back to the pavilion with the scoreboard reading 22 for 3 in 5 overs. 

Mitch Johnson has 3-0.

We repeat, three for none! #BBLSemis pic.twitter.com/1FfXZnOpG1

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 24, 2017

Needless to say, the Stars could never really recover from the early jolts and crawled their way to a mere 136/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Mainly because of some rearguard action from middle order batsman Seb Gotch, who top scored with 48 off 47.  Johnson returned with BBL record figures – 4 overs, 2 maidens, 3 for 3 at an astonishing economy rate off 0.75. 

In reply, Scorchers made light work off the chase as Shaun Marsh played a clinical knock to safely take his side home with 19 balls to spare. 

Completely opposite to the impact his spell had on the match, Johnson described his bowling as not as devastating it was earlier. “I get in the moment and enjoy it, but I don't feel I'm as devastating as I was. It didn't feel like 146 [kph]," he chuckled.