Aus vs Pak 2nd T20I – Spencer Johnson insists on full-time role on new SCG special

“That honestly doesn’t make any sense,” Johnson said of his numbers on Saturday evening. “It’s nice to be back at the SCG. My last time here was the Big Bash final and the conditions were in the bowler’s favour.”

Like that BBL game, in which he got three boundaries from his four balls before turning things around, it was not an ideal start in front of a crowd of 31,563 as his first ball went five wide down the leg side and his third became first slip taken.

“I’ve played enough T20 cricket to know that you can have good and bad games from game to game,” Johnson said. “A lot of times it happens through no fault of your own. You can mis-execute. But I knew tonight I had three overs to get back. I felt like the first over in that Big Bash final was a bit of pressure, and I thought back to that match and that I still had three overs to contribute to the team.”

Johnson is one of a group of Australian fast bowlers fighting for their chances in white-ball cricket when the big three Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are absent, as in this series. Now that trio have said Test cricket is a priority, there could be a chance for some innovation in Australia’s first-choice T20 attack, ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, following their exit from the Super Eight during the tournament this year, although Johnson doesn’t expect any quick change. .

“I know the big three are going to be here for a long time,” Johnson said. “They’re not going anywhere, they’re just going to get better. If I can be a much more part of the team, that will only help me. They’re incredibly durable and have been doing it for so long. They certainly are.” the benchmark.”

Johnson, who missed the British whiteball tour in September due to a side strain, admitted it remained a challenge for him to support match after match. He is expected to play the final T20I in Hobart on Monday, which would make it four matches in a row, after also playing in the deciding ODI in Perth. He has his sights set on a Sheffield Shield appearance for South Australia before the BBL with Brisbane Heat.

“The sustainability question mark is there for me, and hopefully the more I play, the more sustainable I become.” he said. “I feel like the body is getting there. It took time.’