Oz media brands third day of Adelaide Test as one of 'terror' rarely seen before

The Australian media has claimed that every team collapses from time to time but cricket fans can go for decades without seeing the sort of mayhem that unfolded in Adelaide on Saturday when England were bowled out for 172.

According to News.com.au, Mitchell Johnson has had this type of season in him from the time he was first spotted when speed guns were introduced into Australian cricket a dozen years ago.

Queensland officials sent a man with the gun around the state and he came back to tell them that Queensland's fastest bowler was not one of their internationals but an unknown teenage kid from Townsville who was bowling in his father's golf spikes, the report said.

His journey to Saturday has been a long one, full of pitfalls and self-doubts, a challenging upbringing, injuries and confidence losses, the report added.

When Johnson finished his spell after twice bowling for a hat-trick the Adelaide Oval felt like a country town after a violent storm had passed and all you heard was the occasional bird call, the report further said.

One did not have to be a statistician to accept you were watching something truly special, the report mentioned.