The 27-year-old Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson has turned heads with his impressive performances in the ongoing The Hundred tournament. Usually referred to as the ‘next Mitchell Starc’, the tall left-arm pacer announced himself on the world stage by delivering a scintillating spell for Oval Invincibles against Manchester Originals.
Johnson displayed his immense potential by conceding just 1 run in his 2-over spell while picking up 3 crucial wickets.
His victim list included Usama Mir, Tom Hartley and Josh Little. With his raw pace and ability to hit the deck hard, Johnson cleaned up the lower order after having tied them down initially.
His spell laid the foundation for the Invincibles’ thumping victory as they bundled out the Originals for a meagre 92.
Johnson has been plying his trade across various T20 leagues worldwide including the Major League Cricket, Global T20 Canada and now The Hundred over the past month.
With his performances, he has emerged as an exciting fast-bowling talent. His attributes seam up, angle, pace and aggression are likely to attract potential bidders at the IPL 2024 auction.
Let’s look at 3 IPL teams that could benefit from his speed:
Spencer Johnson in Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB has struggled to find a suitable overseas left-arm seamer in recent seasons. They tried the likes of Wayne Parnell, David Willey and Reece Topley without much success last season.
Someone like Johnson would perfectly fit the bill with his hit-the-deck bowling style and pace. He can form a lethal new ball pair with Mohammed Siraj while also bolstering the team’s death bowling.
With his raw attributes, Johnson can be an asset on the Chinnaswamy track and strengthen RCB’s core for the future. RCB needs to move on from their over-reliance on veteran overseas players.
Spencer Johnson in Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians could release injury-prone Jofra Archer before the 2024 auction. They need to reduce their dependence on both Archer and Jasprit Bumrah given their fitness issues.
In such a scenario, Spencer Johnson could be a smart recruitment choice. He aligns seamlessly with MI’s team-building policy of investing in young exciting talents. Johnson’s addition would provide an instant upgrade over the other overseas pace options.
With his aggressive hitting-the-deck ability, he can Extract pace and bounce on the Wankhede track. He can share the new ball duties with Bumrah while also filling in during the latter’s absence.
Spencer Johnson in Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR struggled with their overseas fast bowling picks like Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson failing to step up last season. They also lacked a good left-arm pace option to bring variety.
The return of Shreyas Iyer gives them the flexibility to play an extra overseas pacer. Johnson’s raw pace and angled deliveries would add a new dimension.
His aggression and wicket-taking ability would perfectly balance the experience of Umesh Yadav and Tim Southee. He can also be groomed to take over the lead pacer role in the future after the seniors’ exit.
With several teams looking for exciting young fast bowlers, Spencer Johnson is likely to spark an intense bidding war if he enters the IPL auction.
His performances have shown glimpses of his immense potential and ability to succeed even on the biggest stage against world-class batsmen. It remains to be seen which franchise picks up the promising left-arm speedster as their next ‘Mitchell Starc’.