Adelaide-born South Australian left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson who rocked the Big Bash League 2023/24 final in Sydney with his man of the match-winning performance of 4/26, claims that he is just some consistent and impressive IPL performances away from sealing his spot in the Australia playing XI when the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup at USA & West Indies begins from June 1.
Spencer Johnson has played only 3 matches for the national team – 2 T20Is against South Africa and an ODI against India. All 3 of his senior appearances came within two months in August and September 2023 but since then he is yet to appear on the international scene.
The 28-year-old is a talented left-arm fast bowler who has shown genuine promise off late. He registered 18 wickets across the recently concluded BBL season in 10 appearances for the Brisbane Heat. He was an integral part of the Brisbane side that finished a 10-year-long wait to claim their 2nd BBL title since the 2012-13 season.
He has also represented various different franchises around the world like the Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC, Oval Invincibles in the Men’s Hundred, and Surrey Jaguars in the Global T20 Canada in which he became the runner-up last season.
Spencer Johnson’s performances made him a hot topic in the IPL auction for 2024 as well. Two franchises namely – Gujrat Titans and Delhi Capitals went into an aggressive bidding war for the pacer with the 2022 champions roping him in for INR 10 crore in what was his maiden appearance in the player auction.
While speaking to a local outlet in Australia, Johnson affirmed that he must perform well in IPL 2024 to see him on the flight to the USA and West Indies in June.
“I’m just taking it in my stride, but when you sit back and think about it it’s pretty ridiculous. I’m here now and just keep going. It would be nice to have a couple of performances for Australia, but the World Cup is still a long while away. And if I have a good IPL then there’s every chance I could be in that World Cup squad,” Spencer Johnson told Perth Now.
“If I Get The Opportunity At Optus”, Spencer Johnson On His Chances In 2nd T20I Against West Indies
Spencer Johnson is currently a part of the 15-man Australian squad for the 3-match T20I series against the West Indies. The Aussies under the captaincy of Mitchell Marsh, claimed victory in the 1st match yesterday by 11 runs while the 2nd game will be played tomorrow.
Johnson was overlooked from the playing XI yesterday but in that interview, he stated that he is more than willing to perform at his best in case he gets a chance tomorrow at the Optus stadium.
“I think what I did in the Big Bash is hopefully going to be good enough. I can use the confidence from that finals series to go in and hopefully perform tomorrow night, and if I get the opportunity at Optus to perform there as well. I’m looking forward to the challenge, and I’ve got some confidence going into the game definitely,” Johnson concluded.