Johnson set for ODI return, to play in tri-series final

Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson is set to return from his month-long rest period and the tri-series final against England will be his first competitive match since the Boxing Day Test against India.

Following the drawn Melbourne Test against India, Johnson was rested to recover from hamstring soreness. 

From the start of the 2013-14 Ashes until the end of the 2014 calendar year, Johnson had sent down 602 overs in all international cricket, the most by any fast bowlers during that period. 

"I needed a fair bit of a rest," Johnson told reporters in Perth on Friday. 

"I think it'd probably been a big 12 months personally, but for all the bowlers as well. The UAE was quite tough.

"We bowled a lot of overs there and then coming into Australia the wickets were a little bit flatter than we expected. There were a lot of runs scored through the Test series. The body now is fully recovered and ready to go. 

"I'm feeling pretty good. I'm feeling rested. I don't have any soreness there anymore, so I'm feeling pretty good. It'll be nice to play on a nice fast, bouncy wicket again.

"I'm looking forward to getting out there ... I know the South African series we played there, the wicket just got quicker and quicker. I'm really looking forward to playing on a nice wicket."

Johnson praised Mitchell Starc, who leads the wicket tally in the ongoing Tri-series with 12 scalps at 13.00. 

"I'm really looking forward to getting out there again and bowling and working with him.

"I think we bowl well together in the short form and hopefully we can bowl well together at the WACA. There's actually three left-armers but two opening bowlers."

Image: Mitchell Johnson

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