Cricket: Johnson happy to embrace taunts

Australia's Mitchell Johnson raises his arms on day one of the third Ashes Test cricket match, at Edgbaston. Photo / AP.

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson is happy to embrace the taunts he receives from England fans.

Johnson has been erratic throughout his test career, combining spells of devastating bowling with some peformances he'd happily forget, and this Ashes series has been no different as the crucial fourth test starts tomorrow at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

He took six wickets as Australia annihilated England by 405 runs in the second test at Lord's but that result came in between the two tests which England won comfortably themselves, and Johnson only took four wickets in those two defeats.

England won the 2010-11 Ashes on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years and the 33-year-old left-armer was dropped during the series and he was constantly subjected to derogatory songs by England's Barmy Army.

They were kept quiet as Australia regained the urn in the 2013-14 series and Johnson took 37 wickets to inspire them to a 5-0 whitewash.

He looked so confident as he ripped into England's batting order and he was so comfortable in his run up, that he could have been wearing Converses as he charged in to bowl.

He said the hostile reception he receives from England fans is something he relishes.

"It definitely drives me," said Johnson. "It's something I'm able to block out or get involved in when I need to. Lord's was quiet - a bit of niggle - but either way I'm happy. I know when I'm bowling well.

"Everywhere around the world, they target players and try to take them off their game. I take it as a compliment.

"I definitely feel like I can take the brunt of it and I take the focus away from the other guys so I've really embraced that role."

In the third test he became the fifth Australian to reach 300 wickets and as England were edging closer to sealing their eight-wicket win, Johnson stopped in his run up and then bowled from way behind the crease.

He said he was responding to the crowd who've not let up in constantly jeering him in the first three tests of this series.

"I get amongst it a bit more now," he said. "When the whole crowd is cheering my name at the end of a game after (England) have just won, you have to take that as a compliment.

"When I stopped in my run-up, it was deliberate to try and have a bit of fun with the crowd."