Mitchell Johnson retires from Perth Scorchers and BBL en route to UAE

Mitchell Johnson’s Australian career is over.The veteran left-arm fast bowler told Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges yesterday that he would no longer play in the Big Bash League and instead focus on shorter overseas tournaments.The 36-year-old played for the Scorchers for the past two seasons and had a profound impact in Perth’s win in 2016-17, with returns of 3-3 in the semifinal and 1-13 in the final. Johnson left the door open to continue playing after Perth lost their semi-final to Hobart at Optus Stadium this year,
but his manager Sam Halvorsen confirmed yesterday that the BBL’s expansion to 14 home-and-away games would be too onerous.He intends to play in the inaugural United Arab Emirates Twenty20 league in December and January.“The intensity and length of the BBL is just too much for someone who will be 37 at the start of the summer,” Halvorsen said.“Mitch has put his name up for the Emirates tournament in Dubai, but that is half the length of the BBL.”Five franchises will each play eight games over 24 days in the new UAE tournament.