Raised in Townsville, Johnson's first love was tennis it was only at the urging of his mates that he gave cricket a go.

Dennis Lillee recognised his potential at seventeen, and it was at Lillee's urging that Johnson moved to Adelaide to take up a place at the Australian Cricket Academy.

In a first-class career spanning 14 years, Johnson has seen incredible highs and crushing lows and his unexpected comeback at the age of 32 is arguably one of the greatest of any generation.