'Fired-up' Johnson vents his anger in the nets; hits Glen Maxwell

KINGS XI PUNJAB PACER Mitchell Johnson has admitted that he was ‘fired up’ for repeatedly being dropped by the team and that he ‘hit’ team-mate Glenn Maxwell while venting his anger in a net session. As reported by oneindia, the Aussie paceman who retired from international cricket in November last year, told CA’s website,

"Some of the net sessions I've been bowling I've had guys not come into my net because I've been pretty fired up. I hit 'Maxi' (Glenn Maxwell) in the thumb in Hyderabad.”

The Punjab seamer featured in three games and picked two wickets and has been dropped from the squad since April 25th. The left-arm bowler conceded that he was angered after being dropped from the team sheet but reckoned that he still has the passion to perform.  

"I actually told him not to come into my net because I had just been told I got dropped. I said 'don't come into my net, mate, I'm not in the mood.' No-one else was coming into the net and he came in, I had just bowled to one of our young guys, Manan Vohra, who I gave an absolute barrage to. Then Maxi came in, three balls later he's backed away to try to cut me and I just followed him and hit him on the thumb. Not that I was trying to intentionally hit him but I just followed him. Definitely the fire is there. It just took two weeks longer than I wanted it to."

Punjab lie at the bottom of the table and it remains unknown whether ‘fired-up’ Johnson’s name will be added to the team sheet in their next game against Mumbai Indians on 13th May.