Mitchell Guy Johnson isn't particularly keen on anything other than steaming in and bowling the ball quickly, very quickly. The 19-year- old Queensland left arm fast bowler has dreamt of playing for Australia ever since Dennis Lillee discovered him as a 17-year-old. "I was about 16 when I began to seriously play the game at Queensland. But it was only when Lillee discovered me a year later that I began to think seriously about playing cricket at the highest level," admitted Johnson.

The tall and lanky Johnson is not yet attending university and has no immediate plans of spending time in a classroom either. Forget about university, even on a cricket field Johnson has time for only one passion, extreme fast bowling. "I did bat a bit when I was playing age group cricket earlier. Now however, all I want to be is an out and out fast bowler," said Johnson with a keenness that was there for all to see.

With a mindset like his, it's only natural that Johnson looks up to an aggressive fast bowler. No trundlers, no dibbly-dobbly medium pacers have Johnson's adulation. "Without doubt Jason Gillespie is the player I admire the most. He's a great bowler with a great attitude and I've always looked up to him," says Johnson. The young quick however is quick to admit there are others he enjoys watching. "I've also enjoyed watching some of the West Indian fast bowlers. They're big and strong and that's always impressive, but I don't really look up to them or anything. Gillespie to me is a good role model," explains Johnson.

Recently awarded a contract by Queensland, Johnson hopes to play a few games for the Queensland Bulls in the forthcoming season. "The Queensland contract came as a huge surprise to me. I'm just 19 and still at the Academy where I've put in a lot of hard work. I never expected this to come through so early," said an excited Johnson. Not new to honours, Johnson was awarded a scholarship at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy earlier this year.

As with many cricketers, the Academy has played a big role in shaping Johnson's career. From the Under-19 stage, where Johnson took part in the Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2000, till now, Johnson has come a long way. A spate of stress fractures in recent times has hampered his development, and yet he is working hard to regain full strength. "A lot of people have helped me along the way, Rod Marsh has certainly put in a lot of work, as have Troy Cooley and Wayne Phillips at the Academy. Then there's Mark Portus the bio-mechanics expert who helped out. There's really so many people who've helped me get this far I can't remember all of them."

Keen to master his art, Johnson spoke highly about his visit to the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, which ends soon. "Coming here has been a great experience in many ways. The most important thing is that it's given me a taste of bowling in different conditions and different type of wickets. I've added the leg-cutter to my armoury and worked on swing bowling quite a bit here," said Johnson.

Still working his way back from an injury, Johnson is keen to play for Australia at his peak. "When I get stronger and reach my peak, I want to be the fastest bowler in the world, there's no two ways about that." And no, Johnson is not worried about taking some stick in the process. "I'm not really too concerned about getting hit for runs. If and when I get the chance to play for Australia my first aim will be to bowl a good line and length with pace. If I get smashed around then I'll just have to change my line and length, keep learning and continue!"

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