Johnson working hard to earn a recall in Tests

Sydney: Mitchell Johnson is hoping his perspiration in the nets will provide inspiration to Australia's selectors and earn him a recall for the third Ashes Test against England in Perth this week.

Just two years after he was hailed as the world's best fast bowler, the 29-year-old spent two weeks pounding away in Adelaide and Perth aiming to prove that he can still bowl with the consistency and technique that earned him the plaudit.

"We've got him feeling the way he wants to feel," Australia bowling coach Troy Cooley told yesterday's The Australian. "He's working his backside off. All he wants to do is play well for his country."

Johnson's quiet demeanour has always made him an unlikely inheritor of the mantle of fiery Australian seamers like Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Merv Hughes and Glenn McGrath.

Superb display

The Queenslander's super-quick bowling, however, soon made him indispensable to his country after he was handed his baggy green cap by McGrath as Australia's 398th Test player in late 2007.

A superb display in late 2008 saw him take 8-61 against South Africa at the WACA but it was the following year that he really made his mark as one of the game's best bowlers.

Cooley said Johnson had made progress technically.

"We've worked on making sure his balance at the crease is where he wants it to be," said Cooley. "His ideal bowling spells were in South Africa and we revisited some of the preparation he did for that. We have wound it back and been given the chance to do it again. He looks a lot more balanced at the crease."