Cook dismisses ‘irrelevant’ Johnson talk ahead of Ashes

BRISBANE: Alastair Cook dismissed talk of Mitchell Johnson as “irrelevant” on Tuesday as England prepare to face Australia’s new-look pace attack in the first Ashes Test.
The former England skipper and opening stalwart was speaking after Australia spinner Nathan Lyon’s taunts that his team was in the mood to “end some careers” in the Brisbane Test.
Much has been said about the demoralising effect Johnson, who is now retired from internationals, had on England at the Gabba four years ago, when he ripped through the tourists’ batting.
The firebrand left-armer set the tone for the 2013-2014 Ashes with his ferocious fast bowling to take nine wickets at the Gabba as the Australians inflicted a crushing 381-run defeat, triggering a 5-0 series rout.
But Cook urged his team-mates to maintain their focus on the first Test and not to take a rear-vision view of past events.“Mitch bowled outstandingly in that series, one of the best periods of bowling I’ve ever faced backed up by Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle — (but) they’re no longer playing,” Cook told reporters on Tuesday.
“So in one sense it’s a bit irrelevant.“It happened four years ago and it’s all what happens on Thursday rather than looking back.“England have won four of the last five Ashes series, so you can look at what you want.”
Cook said while Australia’s current pace attack — Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — was strong, it didn’t hold any great fears for the tourists.“There’s nothing we haven’t seen before in cricket,” he said.
“They’re not suddenly bowling 150 miles an hour. (They’ve) not got magic balls which start way outside the stumps and swing miles and stuff.“They’re very good bowlers with good records. As batters, that is the challenge we’ve got in the next seven weeks.”