Ever since the 2005 Ashes when Andrew Flintoff destroyed everything the Australian cricket team has been searching for a genuine all-rounder to do the same. Andrew Symonds (when he’s not fishing) and Shane Watson (when he’s not injured) have filled the role since then, and after they were both unavailable due to injury Andrew McDonald was given a go without (until last night) much success.
However, right now, why do we need to find an all-rounder, when the opening (and currently most experienced) bowler in the side also averages almost 35 with the bat and in recent times has outscored the batsmen in the team. Overnight Johnson smashed his way to his first test century (off only about 86 balls), finishing 123 not out. This came just a couple of weeks after he was left stranded on 96 not out after the rest of the tail crumbled around him. In the series against South Africa just completed he was the equal leading wicket taker from either side, and was the third highest run scorer for Australia with an average of 85. Not to shabby, and if Johnson can fill the all-rounder role, then we can play an extra “genuine” batsman which sounds like a good idea to me.
Source: http://content.cricinfo.com/rsavaus2009/content/story/396407.html