Daughter's birth helps Johnson banish his 'failure demons'

Sydney, Jan 4 (ANI): Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who has been a terror for England batsmen during the current Ashes series, has reportedly managed to beat his demons of the past and is enjoying the game again after recently becoming a father. The form of Johnson, which has hit England with the force of a summer hailstorm, has turned to a relaxed demeanour with the joys of fatherhood. According to News.com.au, proud at being the father to a new-born daughter, Johnson said that being a father changes one's perspective, adding that he is enjoying himself more now than he was 18 months ago. Johnson further said that a bad day turns into a happy one for him as soon as he arrives home and sees his daughter smile at him, and the report said that the change is even more remarkable as Johnson is not a Shane Warne to put a mental fence around his turbulent private life when he took the field and bowl as if he was the happiest man in the world. Sensitive, shy and sometimes lacking in confidence despite his talent, Johnson's off-field life shapes his on-field demeanour, occasionally for worse such as on the Ashes tour of England in 2009 when his form was undermined by a family meltdown featuring his mother, the report mentioned. Johnson's father said that the setback was a key factor in his current form surge as it gave him a break from the game, although for all the joy of fatherhood and the freshness of the break, Johnson needed some tinkering under the bonnet to become the roaring machine he has been this season. The result of Johnson's increased work is that he is fitter and standing higher at the crease with a high bowling arm that is not suffering from the infamous radar scrambles of yesteryear, the report added. (ANI)