MITCHELL JOHNSON: Nothing beats playing England in the Ashes as it’s a story that can never be scripted
The Ashes has always been more than just a cricket series.
It’s a feeling, one that runs through you from the moment you put on your baggy green.
There’s pressure, pride, passion and the weight of the nation all wrapped into one.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.For me, every time I played an Ashes Test, it felt like the entire country was behind us. You could feel that energy, in the streets, in the stands, and even through the TV screens back home.
The rivalry with England isn’t just about cricket. It’s about history, about who we are as Australians.
When you walk out onto the field in an Ashes Test, it’s like stepping into a living, breathing story that started long before you were born.
Every ball, every cheer, every roar from the crowd carries the weight of decades of battles between two proud cricketing nations.
The spirit on the field is different; there’s banter, intensity, and a sense that every session can shift the entire series. As a player, you live for that kind of fire.
At home, the crowds would lift us to another level. I’ll never forget the sound at the MCG on Boxing Day, the build-up when you arrive to the ground, standing for the national anthem with the crowd belting it out loud and proud with us. That deep rumble before the first ball, and the eruption when something happened.
Personally, I had plenty of battles. Some I won, some I lost, but I loved every one of them.
You feel the nation’s heartbeat. The rollercoaster of emotions through an Ashes series is something you can’t really explain unless you’ve been in the middle of it. You can sense the momentum building, and when it does, it’s electric.
Playing in England was a completely different experience but the same in many ways. The crowds weren’t as loving, but they were knowledgeable and they respected the contest.
Wearing the baggy green, No.398, was the greatest honour of my career. Knowing only a select few have had that privilege was humbling.
Standing at the top of your mark at Lord’s or the MCG, two grounds drenched in cricket history, makes you realise how lucky you are. I still get goosebumps thinking about those moments.
Now, almost 10 years since retiring from Test cricket, I can reflect on those Ashes battles with a mix of pride and nostalgia.
There’s sadness too, because nothing will ever quite match that feeling again, and that’s OK.
As a kid, I always knew the Ashes was something special, even if tennis was my first dream. I wanted to play at Wimbledon, not at Lord’s.
But even then, when I’d watch Australia take on England, it felt different. It felt like the whole sporting world stopped to watch.
There have been iconic moments, both good and bad, that have shaped the rivalry. I remember watching when Glenn McGrath rolled his ankle in 2005 and England went on to win the series.
People said that result was good for the game, and maybe it was, but I wasn’t one of them.
That series reignited England’s fire, but then we came back home and beat them 5–0 in 2006-07, with Warney taking his 700th wicket and a few legends bowing out.
That’s the beauty of the Ashes, you can never script it. The highs and lows are what make it unforgettable.
Personally, I had plenty of battles. Some I won, some I lost, but I loved every one of them.
Alastair Cook had my number early on, but I got him back later in my career. It was fierce, frustrating, and fun all at once.
Same with Ian Bell. I first played against him in the under-19s back in 1999, and to go on and face him in Ashes cricket years later was pretty special.
Beating England will always be the pinnacle, but what happens on the field is just part of it. What stays with you are the moments after the series ends.
The handshakes, the drinks, the stories shared between players who’ve gone at it for weeks on end.
You realise then that you’ve been part of something much bigger than yourself.
For me, the Ashes represents everything I love about sport: competition, respect, emotion, and legacy.
It’s in our blood as Australians. I’ll always be proud to have played my part in that rich history, and even now, when a new series rolls around, I still feel that fire in my belly.
The Ashes will always mean something to me because it’s more than just cricket. It’s who we are.
