Bailey confirms Johnson is fit for ODIs

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Cricket365
October 6, 2014

Australia stand-in ODI skipper George Bailey is delighted to have fast bowler Mitchell Johnson back in his arsenal, after the veteran paceman recovered in time from a rib injury, which had kept him out of action for weeks.

Johnson was a doubt for the ODI series against Pakistan, which starts in Sharjah on Tuesday, but Bailey confirmed that the rest and rehab had done the trick, and that Johnson was firing on all cylinders during training ahead of the series.

Bailey said after the one-off T20 victory, on Monday: "He's been training, building up his loads. He should be good to go.

"He's nice to have. He adds something that little bit different. The beauty of Mitch is that he does something very few people in the world do.

"It's a real strike weapon for us. He can get something out of a wicket that no one else can. In many respects that's when he's at his best.

"He can change a game quickly. He can get you back into a game quickly. I think particularly in these conditions he will be very valuable."

One paceman who won't be ready for the ODI series is Mitchell Marsh, who picked up an injury during the Champions League T20. He is not in a race to be fit for a potential Test debut, tipped to replace a hurt Shane Watson.

Bailey added of Marsh: "There's a Test spot sitting there waiting for him, so I know that will be the focus to get him right for that.

"I can't imagine that he'll be risked for ODIs unless he's 100 per cent ready to go. So there's probably that one spot up for grabs at the moment."