South Africa coach Russell Domingo believes his side did all they could to prepare for Mitchell Johnson’s thunderbolts.
Unfortunately for the Proteas, studying Johnson’s left-arm slinging action and facing it out in the middle are two very different things.
Johnson finished with figures of 4-51, but it was a four-over opening spell that destroyed the hosts on day two of the first Test in Centurion.
The 32-year-old snared the scalps of captain Graeme Smith, Alviro Petersen and Faf du Plessis and the Proteas were never able to recover despite the best efforts of AB de Villiers (52 not out).
“That’s what we expected,” Domingo said of Johnson.
“He’s an x-factor bowler for Australia and has done really well for a long time.
“He’s done really well in South Africa on previous tours and he’s just come off a hard Ashes series so he’s got a lot of confidence.
“Our preparation has been as good as it’s ever been but there’s nothing that can prepare you for the tough intensity you get when you’re playing in a Test match.”
Domingo pointed to a similarly destructive opening spell from Johnson five years in Durban, where he broke Smith’s hand and took two wickets in the first over, as proof his batsmen should know what they’re in for.
“It’s not a different Mitchell Johnson. We’re getting him at a hot streak in his career.
“The challenge is always going to be with his action, knowing which balls to leave and which ones not to leave in terms of the length because he can be quite skiddy.”
Johnson recalled his Durban delight with similar clarity and agreed with Domingo.
“I just felt like there was something going on with that wicket. It was a little bit like Durban a few years ago, where it was just really skipping off,” Johnson said.