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South Africa has comprehensively lost first test match against Australia in 2014 test series. The chief destroyer of South Africa was Mitchell Johnson, the man who is racking havoc in minds and hearts of opposition batsmen with shear pace and intensity of his bowling. The newly grown big moustache has certainly converted him into an angry young man and he is in no mood to take the paddle off. Given how he ran through England's batting line up and left them battered and bruised at the end of Ashes series, the South African batsmen will be really nervous facing him.

Graeme Smith, needs to do more than just speaking positive things. He need to lead from the front for South Africa and counter attack Mitchell Johnson

But South Africa has to stand up and show the world that their batsmen have the technique and temperament to face Mitchell Johnson. Not only face him but that they can dominate him. This is because domination will be required for South Africa to come back in 3 match test series. South Africa will surely don't want to loose to the team who is seen as undisputed champions of cricket, whatever the ICC ranking may be.

But who can do it for South Africa cricket? Which batsmen have the guts to stand up to the pace battery of Australia. This is not an Indian bowling attack, with no teeth, that even a mouse can dare to walk the talk. Proper technique, guts, determination, guards of all sorts, and something more is needed to save the face.

Certain scars will definitely not heal quickly. Before i start my point, i am not suggesting South Africa drop Smith, but if this was a 5 test, or back to back series, and he continued to fail against one bowler, MJ, at what point do you decide yes normally he is worth his place, but not against this bloke? Was Atherton worth his place against McGrath? Cullinan against Warne? Dennis Amiss went from a record breaking year to being dropped because of Lillee! Nobody would have argued that he wasn't England's best batsman at the time, but we acknowledged he wasn't even worth his place if Dennis was bowling! Bowlers get changed for horses for courses conditions, but do selectors often enough decide that we know batsman is one of our best, but he is a walking wicket against him? Again, this is a general point rather than one aimed at Smith, a South African great.
After the retirement of  one of the great cricketers'in Jaques Kallis, the South African cricket team is not looking quite strong. Alviro Petersen, GraemeSmith don't look like solid openers against a incisive bowling attack. Hashim Amla is out of form at wrong time. Only AB de Villiers won't be able to save south africa from shame.

May be south africa can unearth a fast bowler as intimidating as Mitchell Johnson and give Aussies something to fear about. But Aussies are like mad kangaroos at the moment and look ready to dethrone even the African lion in its own territory.

The talks of Morne vs Johnson, for a long time Morne Morkel has always had the ability to bounce batsmen at good pace but is so stuck in a rythme of line and length that he cannot be hostile, add to his temperament as being somewhat gentlemanly its not in his make up, the last factor is he is a traditional over the top fast bowler. Johnson is a lot like Akhtar just not as devastating, Shoaib in his pomp was up to mid 150's and had the inswinging yorker that blew away Langer, Hayden, Pontings et al in the great Australian years. Akhtar was feared because he doesn't have control and Johnson brings that back, the element of getting hit.

Dale Steyn is not to blame other than if they knew he was injured and ill he should not have played.
The approach against short-pitch ball is NOT "Get the heck out of the way as soon as you see where it is about to pitch". It is "Get a 1st view of the height the ball is about to take and THEN Get the heck out of the way". There is NO EXTRA REWARD for getting out of the way EARLIER than NECESSARY. All these hits to the helmet and dangerous areas of the body are always because of that.

I see too often batsmen try to SHOW OFF how good they are against bouncers by taking evasive action way too soon - as if to ANNOY the bowler that they are very good against bouncers and SAW it WAY too EARLY - as if trying to tell the bowler "Bowling bouncers to them is useless". Not a good strategy. For bowlers around the world who feel left out and down by all this "This is Johnson's World and We are Living in it hoopla" - I have suggestion for you. COPY, COPY, COPY - Copy his STEELY BICEPS and FOREARM. Has anybody seen any FAT CELL in them ? Not me.

By the way, are those TATOOS on his RIGHT hand distracting to the batsmen and should be banned ? Just a thought.

I thought - except Petersen, De Villiers, and Faf du Plessis - everybody else got themselves out in the 1st innings. Getting out of harms way of a bouncer is also a valid strategy - instead of always hoping to attack it. SA was probably thinking they were still playing against India.  As an SA fan, firstly congrats to Aus. Johnson was truly awesome, operating at a level few have reached in the history of the game. Not great to see SA get destroyed but as a cricket lover it's good to see real pace as it's so rare. Good to see Marsh getting runs too.

From an SA perspective my heart sank as soon as I saw McLaren and Peterson in the team. Bits and pieces players. Peterson's 'spin' is no better than Duminy's in SA so replace him with a batsman like Van Zyl or Elgar. Philander is a containing bowler once the ball is old so the 4th seamer needs to be Parnell, Abbott or Beuran Hendricks, maybe De Lange in the longer term.

But it's also clear that this team is coming to the end of it's cycle. Kallis gone, Smith near the end, Steyn has more niggles and can't ramp it up as often as 5 years ago. Young talent needs to be brought in soon to rebuild.

But whatever we do, if Johnson bowls like that again, particularly if the pitches have variable bounce, then Aus will win 3-0.