Johnson vows to 'go over' England with short ball or else 'hurt them' in winter Ashes

Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson has vowed to give England either a 'good going-over' with the short ball or else 'hurt them' in the first Test of the winter Ashes series at the Gabba, beginning from November 21.

England batsman Jonathan Trott received a sneak peek of what he can come to expect from Johnson in Brisbane, during the one-day international series in September, when he was hit on the head by a searing bouncer and also lost his wicket to another short ball.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Johnson said that they are specifically targeting Trott and England captain Alastair Cook in the series, adding that Trott did not like being attacked with the short-ball during the ODI series against England, a fact which Johnson said will take advantage of.

The rejuvenated Johnson, who has twice broken Graeme Smith's hands and last summer shattered Kumar Sangakkara's finger, also said that Cook can also expect to receive some rough stuff and hinted that he may attack the captain with some rearing balls towards the ribs or throat, so that England may be a player short.

Johnson could well be the fastest bowler in world cricket at the moment as he frequently broke the 150km/h mark, once reaching as high as 155km/h, during the recent limited-overs series in India, which was dominated by the batsmen, the report added.