In Pics: The comeback of Mitchell Johnson
Johnson's haul of 7/40 in England's first innings included a burst of 5/12 in 18 balls, when he was twice on hat-tricks. The 36,000-plus fans at the Adelaide Oval could see that none of the England batsmen were comfortable facing him. And that included the travelling "Barmy Army" of England supporters who taunted him so much in previous Ashes series that it put him right off his game.
A foot tendon injury and patchy form kept him out of Australia's line-up for all but four Tests in two years between November 2011 and last month, and some critics said he'd never again be a permanent feature of Australia's Test line-up.
However he showed surprising pace on unsuitable wickets during the limited-overs tour to India, indicating he was ready for a recall to fill in for injury-hit younger fast bowlers.
"It's hard to explain, to be honest," Johnson said of his stunning spell against England on Saturday. "Looking back at the injury, I had to be able to work myself back into it this time. It's been a lot of hard work.
"There were plenty of people telling me I wasn't going to play again, so it's emotional for me."
The tendency to be fast but wayward seems to be behind him. After spending long hours under the tutelage of Australian pace great Dennis Lillee, Johnson has rhythm, he is bowling faster than anyone in Test cricket, and not straying too far off line.
"It's been great to have the crowd behind me," said the 32-year-old Johnson. "My run-up has been really good, I've been tight on the line ...the rhythm has just stuck with me. It means a lot to me to be able to play Test match cricket for Australia."
And just like his mentor, Johnson is wearing a moustache that makes him look just that little bit more menacing
"Some people on the boundary were calling for me to keep it forever," Johnson said of his lucky charm, the facial hair he started growing to help raise money for charity. "I'm definitely keeping it through this Ashes series."
Johnson's previous best return against England was 6/38 in a fiery performance at Perth that helped Australia to its only win in the 3-1 series loss in 2010-11 -- and that came after he was dropped for conceding 170 runs without a wicket in the first Test at Brisbane. It was a risk bringing Johnson back for that series after the Barmy Army and the England batsmen tormented him as he struggled to control his swing in the 2009 tour.
As for the success after so many dark episodes against England, Johnson said, through a toothy grin: "It definitely puts a smile on my face."
Johnson took nine wickets and was voted man-of-the-match in Australia's 381-run victory in the series opener last month in Brisbane, relishing the Gabba's bounce and carry.
At Adelaide, where the drop-in pitch was supposed to be low and slow and is widely viewed as a batsman's paradise, Johnson has been even quicker. In his first over on Friday, he bowled the three fastest balls of the series to that point. Those were warm-ups to taking out England captain Alastair Cook's off stump.
He didn't take a wicket Saturday morning, but came back two overs after a lunch break and produced a triple-wicket maiden. He had Ben Stokes (1) lbw and a few minutes later had Matt Prior (0) caught behind and bowled Stuart Broad (0) on consecutive deliveries. In his subsequent over, he had Graeme Swann and James Anderson out on consecutive balls.
And worse news still for England is that Johnson's career-best innings figures are 8-61 against South Africa at Perth -- venue for the next Test.
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