Mitchell Johnson quits 'lengthy' BBL
Perth, July 25 : The high intensity and length of the Big Bash League (BBL) has forced Australia fast bowling great Mitchell Johnson to distance himself from it's further seasons, also raising questions about his further involvement with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Cricket Australia (CA) had recently announced a revamp of the BBL, switching it to a full home-and-away season with 14 games, plus the finals.
Johnson, who will turn 37 this November, however has stressed on his availability for other global Twenty20 competitions and is currently eyeing the 10-over tournament to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The intensity and length of the BBL is just too much for someone who will be 37 at the start of the summer," Johnson's manager Sam Halvorsen was quoted as saying by The West Australian newspaper.
"Mitch has put his name up for the Emirates tournament in Dubai, but that is half the length of the BBL," he added.
Johnson, a veteran of 73 Tests with 313 wickets, was on a year-by-year contract with the Perth Scorchers till last season.
The decision to quit the BBL has also raised doubts over Johnson's participation in the IPL, which also stretches to almost two months, with eight teams playing in a home-and-away format, besides the knock-outs.
Johnson, who retired from Test cricket in 2015, has plied his trade with various IPL franchises, including the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. In 2018, he was picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he played six games and took two wickets.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
