Lillee believes Johnson has the ability to secure a spot for himself on the Test roster

Australia pace bowling legend Dennis Lillee has announced that the selectors should pick seamer Mitchell Johnson in the national team for the country’s Ashes campaign against arch-rivals England next year.

Lillee has been mentoring Johnson for the past couple of months and stated that the left-arm pace bowler had radically changed his game, whereby his bowling is no more wayward and wide, but instead more concise and accurate.

Despite having an overflowing stock of pace bowlers at their disposal, Lillee noted that Australia would benefit by having Johnson in the side since he can produce absolute gems at any given point in time.

“He’s finally decided that he’s going to that second phase as a fast bowler and that’s one that he’s not going to blast guys out,” The Age quoted Lillee as saying. “He’s going to bowl some variety, he’s going to concentrate on a really good line and length and sort of play that support role a bit more.”

Lillee added that Johnson has benefited from playing first-class cricket and believes if he keeps taking wickets at a consistent rate, then he will become a regular face in the Test side once again.

“I thought the way he’s bowled so far in (the Sheffield) Shield and the way he bowled in this Test is an indication that he’s on song with all that, and he’s happy in his mind about that,” Lillee said. “You haven’t seen any of the balls going wide of off stump, wide of leg stump. There is some technical work we’ve done with him but it’s also about him being convinced he’s going to that second phase.”