ENGLAND’S NEMESIS JOHNSON QUITS AFTER LOSING INJURY BATTLE

MITCHELL JOHNSON, the destroyer of England during the 2013-14 Ashes, has retired from all forms of cricket after admitting: ‘My body is starting to shut down.’ Johnson, 36, produced one of the most famous of all Ashes performances when he took 37 English wickets at less than 14 apiece during the 5-0 whitewash of Alastair Cook’s team. He quit international cricket in November 2015, since when he has been playing in domestic Twenty20 tournaments around the world. But he was unable to shake off a back niggle during this year’s IPL and hadn’t taken the field since May. ‘It’s over,’ wrote Johnson (right) in a column for the PerthNow website. ‘I’ve bowled my final ball. Taken my final wicket. ‘I had hoped to continue playing in various Twenty20 competitions around the world until perhaps the middle of next year. But the fact is my body is starting to shut down. ‘I think I’m mentally done as well. ‘If I can’t play at 100 per cent then I can’t give my best to the team. And for me it’s always been about the team.’ Johnson finished with 872 wickets in all cricket, including 313 in 73 Tests at an average of 28, and 239 in one-day internationals at 25. He will now consider a career in coaching in his native Western Australia. ‘I’m ready to break clear of playing cricket and move on to the next period of my life,’ said the man who became a favourite target of the Barmy Army. ‘My competitive urge hasn’t left me and hopefully that’s something I can use to channel into a coaching or mentoring role in the future.’