Mitchell Johnson reveals Ashes meltdown

MELBOURNE: Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson admitted that a bitter row with his mother led to his meltdown during this year's Ashes, which the Ricky Ponting's men lost. Johnson said the spat between his mother Vikki Harber and fianceeJessica Bratich played on his mind during the Lord's Test, resulting in hisawful performance in the match. Johnson returned with match figures of three for 200 from 38.4 overs in the second Test which Australia lost by 115 run to England. "I guess it (poor form) started off with thepersonal side of things. That really probably did get to me. I was probablydenying it as well at the time. The personal things that came out, it was mostlythrough Lord's where I felt that pressure," Johnson was quoted as saying by theHerald Sun."Mentally, I have learnt to be a lot stronger. I've justgot to concentrate on what I'm doing out in the middle," Johnson said."This is what I have to do for a living and I've just got to leaveeverything behind me when I'm out there. My problems got technical as wellbecause I was thinking about it but in the end it was just more of a mentalthing." The 28-year-old Queenslander said the emotional toll causedby his mother Harber's claim that the pacer was "stolen" from her by his fianceeBratich had such an adverse affect on him that he completely lost his focus onbowling. "I just had to concentrate on where I wanted to bowl theball and how I wanted to get those guys out and I just wasn't doing that,"Johnson said. "Hopefully I have passed all that and I can mentallybe stronger. I block things out pretty well normally but I think it was just theAshes, the whole hype of it, and the personal things that came out," the ICCPlayer of the Year added.