Melbourne: The most wanted man at the Federation Square on Monday morning was Mitchell Johnson. Though he did not win either of the two prestigious awards, the Man of the Final or Player of the Tournament, it was Johnson who led the Australian pace attack to glory.

Time and again, his tips to Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner based on his experience had helped them a lot to pick vital wickets.

Like he had learnt from his predecessors Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee, so have Starc and Faulkner from Johnson. While replying to whether this attack was the best when compared with the past, Johnson said: “It’s pretty hard to compare. I had the pleasure of bowling with McGrath and Lee – those are guys that you idolised and watch on TV while growing up. We don’t have those legends of the game yet. Some of these guys will go on to be one. We’ve got a great bowling group.”

Johnson feels that the day when Starc will be dominating in Test cricket too is not be far away. “I don’t think it’s far away. I just think he needs to play consistent Test cricket. I know what it was like when I first started - you’re trying to find your rhythm and trying to find your place. This has definitely given him a lot of confidence. He was criticised through that Test series last year but he has really stood up. I’m really proud of him.”

Johnson then went on to explain how special it was to win the World Cup at home. “It’s surreal at the moment. You get flashbacks of the night, parts of the game. Seeing the crowd here today - the support throughout this tournament has been unreal. We had past players come and talk to us about ‘92 and what it was like for them. To actually experience this now, to win the World cup at home, it doesn’t get much better.”

Johnson then went on to describe the victory celebrations. “We were pretty much out in the field for a fair while. We were really stoked with how we walked around the ground and the supporters had stayed. The crowd was still there at the end. We did the lap of honour and it was really cool to be able to do that. We just had a few drinks, had family and friends...it was really special.

What is the secret of Australia’s triumph in World Cups? “We play hard cricket. We built up to the final to play that kind of cricket. Starc was excellent throughout the tournament and deserved to win the Player of the Series. He bowled outstandingly. Guys performed throughout the tournament but as a group we stepped up in those final stages.”